Exploring end-of-life care and bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic

The latest Care Initiative event at Green Templeton College explored aspects of care that have been under-reported during COVID-19, namely end-of-life care and bereavement during the pandemic.

Governing Body Fellow Professor Mary Daly chaired the virtual session on Thursday 11 February, which hosted speakers Professor Keri Thomas OBE and Dr Lucy Selman.

Professor Thomas is Founder and Clinical Lead of The National GSF Centre and Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham. Dr Selman is Senior Research Fellow at the Bristol Medical School.

Dr Lucy Selman speaks during the latest Care Initiative session

The discussion took the form of two parts: Professor Thomas spoke first, about founding the Gold Standards Framework (GSF), which aims to improve care for people in the last phases of their lives, before Dr Selman shared early findings from research into experiences of bereavement during the pandemic.

Following the speakers’ presentations, there was a Q&A with the audience which touched on topics including cultural differences towards death and dying, and the continued need to consider care homes as places where many people end of their lives.

A full report on the end-of-life care and bereavement in the pandemic event was produced by Dr Gemma Hughes.

Green Templeton’s Care Initiative explores issues associated with care of older people by bringing together people from different disciplinary and professional backgrounds. The Initiative engages in informed debate and research around the complex issues involved in caring for and with older people. Its general field of interest lies in explicating the policy dimensions of care for older people and developing understanding of the linkages between social care and health care.