Courses and events
The Palliative Care Unit deliver various courses and events throughout the year, offering high quality training for healthcare professionals, and opportunities to share knowledge and expertise.
Centre for Communication Skills Education and Training
Serious Illness Care Programme
International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person
Palliative Care Unit Seminar Series
Courses
Contact course administrator Ali Holcroft at Alison.Holcroft@liverpool.ac.uk to:
- Join our mailing list to receive course updates
- Enquire about courses
- Pay for a course via invoice or bank transfer.
To book directly online, click the link below:
Centre for Communication Skills Education and Training
Advanced Communications Skills Training
Advanced Communication Skills Training (ACST) is a two-day multi-professional course that uses a variety of teaching methods to enable senior, experienced Health Care professionals to explore the evidence base relating to effective communication within healthcare and to examine the application of specific communication skills strategies to complex healthcare relating interactions.
- Experiential approach - This course offers you the opportunity to examine complex communication-related topics using actor-based, simulated patient scenarios
- Participant-led - The programme draws upon a participant-led agenda, allowing time to reflect upon your current expertise, practice newly developed skills with the use of role-play and receive positive, constructive feedback within an interactive, intensive but safe and supportive environment
- Expert facilitators - Facilitators with a clinical background in healthcare and a wealth of experience in delivering national advanced communication skills training will support your learning on this course.
This course can be delivered both in person, and virtually via Zoom.
2026 Courses
17 - 18 September – Virtual
21 - 22 September - Liverpool
2027 Courses
18-19 January – Liverpool
15-16 March – Liverpool
14-15 June – Liverpool
20-21 September - Liverpool
Book a place on Advanced Communications Skills Training
Training For Facilitators
Training For Facilitators is a three day, multi-professional course that prepares facilitators to deliver high quality, evidence based Advanced Communication Skills Training. The main aim of the workshop is to enable participants to develop their knowledge and understanding of teaching and assessing communication skills at an advanced level.
Delivered by expert trainers, the course provides an opportunity to gain up to date knowledge of the evidence base surrounding the application of communication skills training and course design. You will explore how to set up and facilitate role play, using video feedback and discussion safely and effectively, understand and manage group dynamics and learn how to work with actors. The course has been used to train facilitators nationally to the standard of the National Advanced Communication Skills Programme (Connected) and is led by Dr Susie Wilkinson and Anita Roberts.
It is open to all senior healthcare professionals who have completed an advanced communication skills training programme such as the Wilkinson ACST programme, the Connected Course or equivalent and who want to be actively involved in teaching communication skills to healthcare professionals. This course is held in person in Liverpool.
2026 Courses
13 - 15 October - Liverpool
2027 Courses
13-15 January – Liverpool
21- 23 June – Liverpool
22-24 September - Liverpool
Book a place on Training for Facilitators
Advanced Communications Skills Training Refresher
In this one-day Advanced Communication Skills Training (ACST) Refresher course, expert facilitators will employ the same experiential, participant-led approach as the full ACST course, to update participants’ skills and confidence in navigating complex healthcare-related interactions. This course is open to healthcare professionals who have previously completed a two-day ACST course.
Dates to be confirmed
Contact alison.holcroft@liverpool.ac.uk to register interest
Training the Teachers
This well-established international short course is suitable for healthcare professionals who have more than two years experience of working in palliative and end of life care and who are expected to provide education as part of their role.
A three-day multidisciplinary course focusing on modern and effective ways of teaching in palliative and end of life care. The course places an emphasis on how to teach and not just what to teach, providing you with the opportunity to:
- Examine specific teaching formats and consider how they can be applied to teaching practice
- Explore a range of teaching methods and delivery skills
- Discover how the Kolb model can be adapted to enhance Palliative Care teaching
- Design learner centred education aimed at specific groups.
The course continues to be run in collaboration with Dr Ruthmarijke Smeding, a senior Educational Psychology Consultant from the Netherlands, and aims to equip senior professionals with modern and effective ways of teaching in palliative and end of life care using specific educational theory.
2026 Course
6-8 July 2026
Book a place on Training the Teachers
Serious Illness Care Programme
The Serious Illness Care Programme (UK) promotes high quality conversations between clinicians, seriously ill patients, and their families. The intervention provides clinical tools, training, and workflow innovations to help clinicians initiate these conversations in the right way and at the right time.
Read Frequently Asked Questions - Serious Illness Care Programme (PDF, 142KB)
For more information about the programme, contact the Serious Illness Care Programme Clinical Lead, Dr Alison Coackley - alison.coackley@nhs.net.
Serious Illness Care Programme newsletter
Read our newsletter for information on training, Implementation Workshops, Community of Practice Forums and interesting articles.
If you would like to receive the bimonthly Serious Illness Care Programme Newsletter straight into your inbox, you can register for the mailing list by emailing Alison.Holcroft@liverpool.ac.uk.
Clinician Training Day
The Serious Illness Care Programme Clinician Training Day includes an introduction and overview of the programme, and experiential learning with simulated patients. This event is a one-day interactive workshop designed for clinicians. The training will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and skills to start having these conversations with the patients for whom you think it is appropriate.
Testimonials
“I found the day useful and a great opportunity for communication skill practice, and refining my approach to serious illness conversations.”
“Well run and engaging content.”
“I feel this day is really relevant to my developing role and would recommend it to colleagues.”
“Really useful in helping me understand the structure and purpose of the serious illness conversations and start to work on where and how I will implement this for my patients.”
2026 Courses
16 October 2026 - FULLY BOOKED
Dates for Winter 2026 and Spring 2027 TBC
Contact alison.holcroft@liverpool.ac.uk to register interest
Book a place on Clinician Training Day
Community of Practice Forum
The Serious Illness Care Programme Community of Practice Forum is an opportunity for people who have attended a Clinician Training Day to share progress and challenges as they work towards implementing the serious illness conversation into their clinical practice.
Implementation Day
The Serious Illness Care Programme Implementation Day is an interactive workshop where participants will explore strategies to integrate the Serious Illness Care Programme into their team/unit/department. Topics will include
- Building a foundation for success and the roadmap
- Context and readiness assessment
- The importance of goal setting
- Teams and engagement
- System Change- what why and how
- Getting the workflow right
- Documentation
- Evaluation
- Troubleshooting tips
International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person Events
11th Annual Conference of the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person, Lund, Sweden
17-18 November 2026
This two‑day event is hosted by the Institute for Palliative Care at Lund University and Region Skåne, and brings together professionals from around the world who are dedicated to improving care at the end of life.
The International Collaborative works to promote high‑quality care for people in the last days of life through international research, education, and shared clinical expertise. The Collaborative also works closely with the EAPC Task Force on Care for the Dying and supports the continued development of the 10/40 Model for Best Care for the Dying Person.
The conference programme welcomes physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers, leaders, and anyone working in – or interested in – end‑of‑life care. You may choose to attend one or both days. The sessions are designed to inspire learning, encourage discussion, and create meaningful professional connections while highlighting current work within the Collaborative.
With its focus on best care from multiple perspectives, this conference offers a unique opportunity for international exchange, reflection, and networking.
International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person Webinars
Presented in collaboration with the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Task Force on Care for the Dying, the quarterly International Collaborative Webinar Series is aimed at health and social care professionals who provide care for dying people, as well as those members of the public who are interested in the societal issues around death and dying in the 21st century.
Ethics and Clinical Deliberation Process in the Last Hours of Life
Dr Rui Carneiro and Dr António Carneiro
3 September 2026 – 12:00-13:00 GMT
Equitable Bereavement Care for All – Improving bereavement services for those from ethnically diverse groups
Dr Catriona Mayland
3 December 2026 – 12:00-13:00 GMT
Palliative Care Unit Seminar Series
To be added to the mailing list for the PCU seminar series, please contact Jo Davies at davies79@liverpool.ac.uk.
Getting Ready for Research: Experience and actions from RESPACC-L Year 2
Dr Stephen Mason
14 July 2026 – 13:00-14:00 GMT
Palliative Care Clinical Practice and Education in China
Professor Huiping Chen
30 July 2026 – 13:00-14:00