Palliative Care GP Fellowship Project
Farleigh has been taking part in an innovative collaborative pilot project looking at how to provide an opportunity for local GPs to develop further skills in palliative and end of life care, whilst providing a valuable workforce for our hospices and retaining them as GPs in our local area.
Dr Eva Lew, Farleigh’s Medical Director and also the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (MSE ICB) Clinical Lead for End of Life, has been working with senior clinical leads at Havens Hospices and St Luke’s Hospice on this project, along with the Mid and South Essex ICS Primary Care Training Hub to develop these new Portfolio GP Fellowship roles.
The successful applicants work in GP surgeries across mid and south Essex and spend up to a day a week working in our local hospices. Personalised palliative and end of life care is a core component of a GP’s work. As well as increasing the range of skills in our care teams, these GPs take the specialist skills they develop with us out into the local community.
"The benefits of these excellent posts have gone beyond our original aspirations, and include measurable closer working between primary care and the hospices and broader upskilling of our teams, ultimately supporting closer working and better patient care."
Dr Eva Lew
Personalised palliative and end of life care is a core component of a GP’s work. As well as increasing the range of skills in our care teams, these GPs take the specialist skills they develop with us out into the local community.
Farleigh itself has recruited three GPs through this pilot project. There was considerable competition for these roles and feedback from all of the GPs has been very positive. 100% would recommend the roles to others and all stated that the role was enabling them to meet the objective of being upskilled in palliative care and acting as a community end-of-life champion.
