education and training

We are proud to provide high quality education and learning experiences that are responsive to the frequently changing needs of the health and social care workforce.

Our Education: Helping to improve end of life and palliative care.

 
Learn for Good

"I felt it was great learning virtually. Rightly paced, spaced and perfectly packed with loads of information and lots to take away in 2 days."

Advanced Communication Skills Training - Nov 2024

The most informative palliative care session. Tapping into the expertise of the hospice medics and looking at the predicted symptoms and signs as patients approach their final hours.

Palliative Care for Ambulance Clinicians – Sep 2022

Excellent day. So much information and clarity. Amazing speakers.

Practical Palliative Care

Non-invasive Ventilation

It was so insightful and spoken by a knowledgeable. lecturer. Incredibly stimulating, ideas and views that I hadn't even considered - fascinating!

Ethics Masterclass

Assisted Dying – May 2022

Transition Course 11 Oct 24 - 14 Mar 25
Education Event

Transition to Autonomous Practice

DYING MATTERS SERIES (6) Multiple dates
Education Event

Advanced Communication Skills Training Course (2 Days)

PCDP 2025 (1) 14 Jan 25 - 25 Mar 25
Education Event

Palliative Care Development Programme 2025 (PCDP)

DYING MATTERS SERIES (5) Multiple dates
Education Event

Intermediate Communication Skills Training - Having Sensitive Conversations within the Context of Palliative and End of Life Care

Manisha Teaching 23 Jan 25
Education Event

Non-Pharmacological Management of Common Palliative Care Symptoms an AHP Approach

6X4 012 Tom 28 Jan 25
Education Event

Introduction to Palliative Care for Non-Clinicians

Neuro Respiratory Management Masterclass Photo 04 Feb 25
Education Event

AHP Masterclass - Respiratory Management for People Living with Complex Neurodegenerative Conditions

DYING MATTERS SERIES (11) 13 Feb 25
Education Event

Talking ACP and DNACPR - A Practical Approach

Compassionate Communication Skills (4) Multiple dates
Education Event

Compassionate Communication Skills (Foundation Level) Online

DYING MATTERS SERIES (11) 13 Mar 25
Education Event

Palliative and End of Life Care - an Awareness Day

AHP Bite Size Building Resilience 27 Mar 25
Education Event

AHP Bite Size Learning: Building Resilience A Toolbox Approach to Mastering the Art of Self-care

Untitled Design 2024 12 09T143117.603 02 Apr 25
Education Event

Living and Dying Well with Heart Failure - How can Palliative Care Help?

DYING MATTERS SERIES (7) Multiple dates
Education Event

European Certificate in Essential Palliative Care (ECEPC)

Compassionate Communication Skills (1) 04 Sept 25
Education Event

Compassionate Communication Skills (Foundation Level) Face to Face

Our Clinical Education Programme

As a centre of excellence in palliative care, The Hospice of St Francis is committed to empowering health and social care professionals through collaboration, expertise, passion, education and learning.

We are proud of our ability to provide high quality education and learning experiences that are responsive to the frequently changing needs of the health and social care workforce and its patients.

We primarily use virtual platforms to deliver our education programme. This is a more inclusive way of delivering education and enables us to share our knowledge and experience with a much wider audience. Our interactive and highly original sessions are developed and delivered by a multi-disciplinary team with many years of experience in providing palliative and end of life care and palliative rehabilitation.

In addition we offer student placements and a range of skills and personal development training opportunities for clinicians, non-clinicians and volunteers.

#MeetTheTeam

Find out more about our facilitators...

Claire Nicell)

Claire Nicell

Joint Head of Education and Learning

Claire is a Bachelor of Nursing with more than 30 years of clinical experience in many different settings. Throughout her career she has always had a keen interest in teaching and palliative care; so her present role as Lecturer Practitioner is her ideal job!

Her palliative care experience has involved working in hospitals, hospices and as a Community Specialist Palliative Care Nurse. More recently her focus and experience has switched to education. Within Hertfordshire she was part of the ABC project delivering palliative and end of life care to care homes throughout the county and then spent 18 months with the palliative care team at Watford General Hospital implementing The Rose Project (to promote dignity and respect at the end of life).

Claire loves working collaboratively with different colleagues across the social and health care sectors and helping individuals apply the principles of palliative care to their setting to promote excellent palliative care for those they care for.

She keeps her hand in clinically by working with her colleagues in the Community Palliative Care team and supporting a support group for patients with Pulmonary Fibrosis to ensure she practices what she teaches!

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Manisha Cook)

Manisha Cook

Lecturer Practitioner and Specialist Physiotherapist

Manisha has been qualified physiotherapist for over 20 years, she is passionate about respiratory medicine and palliative care.

Manisha has worked as a specialist physiotherapist at The Hospice of St Francis for 9 years and previously has worked in community and acute healthcare settings in London and Hertfordshire. 

Manisha has recently completed her level 4 Certificate in Teaching and Education, and is committed to providing a specialist palliative education programme for Allied Health Professionals and the wider multi-disciplinary team.

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Amy Smissen)

Amy Smissen

Lecturer Practitioner and Community Occupational Therapist

Amy is a qualified Occupational Therapist with 25 years experience working in both clinical and leadership roles. With a passion for the palliative rehab approach to empower patients to self-manage Amy enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills within the team and wider audiences.

Throughout her career she has worked in a range of settings including a community learning disability team, an inpatient neurological rehab unit and a local charity providing support to people living with long-term neurological conditions. 

Amy joined the Hospice of St Francis in 2023 and works 3 days a week in the Community Team, bringing her unique OT perspective to enable community patients to optimise their function and ultimately, their overall quality of life.  Amy has always enjoyed facilitating therapeutic groupwork sessions, running workshops and training sessions both for patients and carers and with fellow clinicians.  These skills lend themselves well to her Lecturer Practitioner role, which she took on in early 2024.

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Linda Harris)

Linda Harris

Joint Head of Education and Learning

Linda joined the Hospice in 2013 following a career in IT both nationally and internationally.

She ran her own business for 23 years, providing accounting software solutions to a diverse range of market sectors in the SME marketplace. Partnering with organisations such as Computer Cab, The Match Rooms, Forth Medical, British Steel, and The Diocese of Gibralter in Europe.

Linda is keen to collaborate and build relationships with our peers and business partners. Motivated by the challenge of exceeding customer expectation and the building of a strong team she strives to deliver a first class service to our learners, thereby maintaining our reputation as a centre for palliative and end of life care excellence in education and learning.

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Caroline Smith)

Caroline Smith

Administrator

Caroline joined the Hospice of St Francis in July 2021. She brings to her role a wealth of experience from Industry, having worked in IT for more than 28 years.

She has experience of the Travel, Financial Services and Automotive industries, having worked as an IT Project Manager for the last 20 years. She has a BA (Hons) in Business Studies, and has returned to her earlier career roots in administration, with a strong interest in training and continuous learning.

Caroline is keen to support both the training & development and volunteer services areas of the Hospice with their administration needs, with a particular focus on streamlining and improving processes, where possible.

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Manisha Cook)

Kathryn Batstone

Education and Learning Assistant

Kathryn joined the Hospice in January 2024. She brings to her role a wealth of administrative experience having worked in industry for more than 25 years. Kathryn is passionate about customer service and is focussed on providing the best possible support both within the Hospice and to the wider community.

With a BA (Hons) Degree in Travel and Tourism Kathryn is well placed to provide wide ranging administrative support within the Education and Learning Team.

We're delighted to have her on board!

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Dee Cooke)

Dee Cooke

Lecturer Practitioner/ Nurse

Dee started her nursing career in a general hospital on both medicine and gynae wards. Passionate about developing people and empowering them with skills and knowledge to provide excellent care to their patients her lecturer practitioner role is a perfect fit.

Dee has worked in a range of settings including a community team, care home improvement team and clinical skills facilitator team.

Dee joined the team in April 2024 and works clinically alongside delivering end of life care education.

Dee is passionate about supporting staff to get it right even in stressful situations.

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Find out more about our clinical education services...

<h2><strong>Our Clinical Education Programme</strong></h2>

Our Clinical Education Programme

Relevant, accessible, quality end of life care education for colleagues in health and social care across the hospital, community, home, and care home settings.

Find out more

<h2><strong>Bespoke Education &amp; Training</strong></h2>

Bespoke Education & Training

Are you looking to develop your workforce? Take a look at our full and half day workshops.

Download more information

<h2><strong>Clinical Practice Placements</strong></h2>

Clinical Practice Placements

We offer a variety of placements, offering a valuable clinical practice learning environment to all our students and clinical visitors, and providing an understanding of palliative care in practice.

Find out more

We have formal education programmes based at The Hospice of St Francis. We also offer education and mentorship in local settings throughout our catchment area and can customise programmes to suit the needs of different professionals.

Throughout everything, our ethos has always been to provide exceptional care - an ambition recognised by the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, who awarded The Hospice of St Francis an ‘Outstanding’ rating in 2016. 


You can find out more information about End of Life Care on the NHS England website.

CQC
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