Day 3: Wednesday 18 November

This session includes four presentations of abstracts submitted via our Call for Papers: 

• Eye donation: a masterclass in collaboration: palliative and end of life care settings and NHS Blood and Transplant – Emma Winstanley, Lead Nurse Tissue Donation, Palliative and End of Life Care,.NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) 
• Matching care to complexity: rethinking hospice access through a tiered model – Vicky Arnold, Referrals & Service Improvement Lead, Demelza) 
• Families’ voices: realities of navigating children’s palliative care in Wales – Esme Turner, Quality and Assurance Practitioner, Hope House Children's Hospices 
• Systematic review of integrated community palliative care in the UK: service models, patient outcomes and system impact – Natasha Bradley, Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow, University College London 

Chair: Alison Richardson, Deputy Director of Nursing Research, NHS and Hospice UK Trustee

👥: All delegates

We are living in polarised, divisive times - and yet, for hospices, it is more important than ever to be engaging proactively with local political stakeholders. This discussion will look at what we can learn from different parts of the country, and how hospices apolitical, universal appeal can help us. 

Speakers: 

• Rami Okasha, Chief Executive, Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) 

• Steph Edusei, Chief Executive, St Oswald’s Hospice 

• Dónall Henderson, Chief Executive, Foyle Hospice 

• Margaret Hollings, Chief Executive, St Kentigern Hospice (North Wales) 

Chair: Charlie King, Director of External Affairs, Hospice UK 

👥: CEOs, Income Generation, Comms

Hospice retail is facing a period of significant change. Rising operating costs, evolving consumer behaviours and increasing competition for donated goods mean that retail leaders are having to think differently about the future.

This session will explore how hospices can position retail as a strategic asset rather than simply a trading function. Drawing on emerging retail trends and practical examples from across the sector, speakers will examine how hospices can optimise their shop portfolios, make informed decisions about growth and investment, and adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace. 

The session will explore the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of hospice retail and the role it can play in building more a more sustainable future. 

Speakers:

• Charlotte Greenwood, Consultant, The Charity Retail Consultancy 
• Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO, Savvy Marketing 
• Nick Diamond, Trustee, St Christopher’s Hospice 

Chair: Tom Abbott, Director of Operations, St Christopher's Hospice

👥: Income Generation, CEOs, Trustees

Kindly supported by RLDatix 

This session will showcase Hospice UK’s hospice data survey results and give an update on the data comparison tools that are being developed to evidence hospice reach. It will explore why this is important evidence for hospices and communities and examine how this is being implemented in hospices and what it is showing. 

Speakers: 

• Dr Maddy French, Senior Research Fellow in Palliative Care (Sue Ryder), Lancaster University. 
• Christine Dobbs, Data Manager, Keech Hospice

Chair: Annette Alcock, Director of Programmes, Hospice UK 

👥: Data, Community Engagement, Clinical, CEOs

Getting people through the door is not enough. Among patients already known to specialist palliative care services, higher deprivation is still associated with a greater likelihood of dying in hospital. This session shows what working differently looks like in practice.  

The Saint Elizabeth Foundation will draw on lessons from their Journey Home Hospice model; what it genuinely takes to design equitable care for people whom conventional health systems frequently fail to reach, touching on the broader interconnected challenges. UK Hospice grantees will share honest accounts of work they are doing to improve access for socio-economic disadvantaged communities locally. 

Speakers: 

• Fr. Dr. Matthew M. Durham, Executive Director, Hospice Palliative Care & Community Development, Saint Elizabeth Foundation, Canada 
• Nancy Lefebre, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Nursing Executive, Senior Vice President, Saint Elizabeth Foundation, Canada 
• Mary Hodgson, Director of Inclusion & Social Innovation, St Christopher's CARE 
• Sharan Harris-Christensen, Head of Clinical Quality and Education (Deputy Director of Clinical Services), Treetops Hospice 

Chair: Preeti Kathrecha, Technical Advisor - Socio-economic disadvantage, Hospice UK

👥: All delegates

We are delighted to welcome Therapy Dogs Nationwide and some of their volunteer therapy dogs to this year’s conference. 

Therapy Dogs Nationwide works with organisations across the UK, including hospices, to bring comfort, connection and emotional support to patients, families, staff and volunteers. Whether you're interested in introducing a therapy animal service at your hospice or just want to enjoy a moment of canine companionship, come and meet the team and learn more about the valuable role therapy animals can play in hospice and palliative care settings.   

The team and their dogs will be available from the morning refreshment break until after lunch, so stop by to say hello. 

Be challenged and inspired! Write your first three‑line poem, develop your skills and boost your creative confidence. 

Discover how haiku can sharpen listening, emotional intelligence and communication. Explore metaphor, revisit meaningful moments and distil what you’ve learned into poetry. 

With prompt sheets, creative challenges and encouragement from Phil and the Hospice UK team, you’ll leave energised, with homework and a “What Now?” guide to keep you looking, listening, thinking and writing creatively. 

👥: All delegates

We are delighted to welcome Therapy Dogs Nationwide and some of their volunteer therapy dogs to this year’s conference. 

Therapy Dogs Nationwide works with organisations across the UK, including hospices, to bring comfort, connection and emotional support to patients, families, staff and volunteers. Whether you're interested in introducing a therapy animal service at your hospice or just want to enjoy a moment of canine companionship, come and meet the team and learn more about the valuable role therapy animals can play in hospice and palliative care settings.   

The team and their dogs will be available until after lunch, so stop by to say hello. 

👥: All delegates

This interactive session will explore the role of palliative oxygen in advanced disease, examining the current evidence, the limitations of treatment, and the different factors that influence prescribing decisions. 

Through panel discussion and audience participation, delegates will consider how decisions are made in practice and reflect on the clinical, emotional and organisational influences, as well as consider the governance and safety considerations associated with oxygen use. 

Speakers: 

• Anja Hudson, Clinical Specialist (Physiotherapist), St Christopher's Hospice 
• Jane Crussell, Education Facilitator, Saint Francis Hospice 

Chair: Julia Russell, Clinical Quality Advisor, Hospice UK

👥: Clinical

This session includes four presentations of abstracts submitted via our Call for Papers: 

• Will the ancient wisdom of sound bath help the mental health and wellbeing of palliative care patients in Blaenau Gwent? - Matthew Atkins, Complementary Therapist, Hospice of the Valleys 
• “There are people a lot worse off than you”: an ethnographic case study of family caregiving in Rett Syndrome – Francesca Horne, Research Associate, LOROS 
• Beyond the hospital: cross-organisational multidisciplinary delivery of LVAD withdrawal and deactivation at the end-of-life in hospice and home settings – Abigail Hensley, Consultant in Palliative Medicine,. St Elizabeth Hospice 
• Left shift focus: quality improvement project: pathways for patients being transferred from intensive care to a hospice for end-of-life care – Nicola Fenton, Deputy Director of Clinical Services, St Leonard’s Hospice) 

Chair: Melanie Taylor, Head of Information, Hospice UK  

 👥: All delegates

Session delivered in collaboration with Together for Short Lives  

In June 2026, the updated Categories of Children's Palliative Care were published - a landmark moment for a sector that has worked from the same framework for over two decades. But categories are only as powerful as the practice they shape. 

This session asks: what do the new categories mean for the children and families they describe, and how do they translate into real decisions about who receives care, what that care looks like, and how it is commissioned? 

Drawing on the evidence base behind the categories, case studies of how eligibility works in practice across different services and systems, and the lived experience of a parent navigating a framework built to describe their child's needs, this session brings the updated categories to life. It asks what consistent, equitable implementation looks like - and what gets in the way. This session will be live-streamed.

Speakers: 

• Dr Christine Mott APPM, Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust; Medical Director, Acorns Children’s Hospices 
• Dr. Laura Nohavicka, Paediatric Palliative Medicine Consultant, Helen & Douglas House 
• Angela Wright, Associate Director, Children & Young Adult Services, Dougie Mac Hospice 
• Dan McEvoy, Writer and policy advocate 

Chair: Katie Tallowin, Associate Director of Service and Impact, Together for Short Lives 

👥: All delegates

Both mental illness and dying remain highly stigmatised in society and people with severe and persistent mental illness are at higher risk of poor physical health outcomes due to disparities in healthcare access and provision. 

How can hospices work with psychiatric and mental health services to deliver high quality, compassionate care to people with complex mental health conditions? In this session, we will be joined by Dr Sarah Yardley, who will share the findings of her Churchill Fellowship focused on ‘Reimagining Palliative Care for People with Severe Mental Illness’, incorporating insights from Australia, Canada, Finland and the USA.  

We will also discuss practical ways in which hospice teams can support people with serious mental illness, their friends and families. 

Speaker: 

• Dr Sarah Yardley – Churchill Fellow, Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine at University College Hospitals and Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Associate Professor in Palliative Medicine, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London 
• Amber Browne, Public Health PhD Researcher, Swansea University 
• Hannah Cadogan, past patient of the Cassel hospital, Experts by Experience of Severe Mental Illness  

Chair: Maaike Vandeweghe, Clinical Advisor - Workforce, Hospice UK 

👥: CEOs, Clinical, Community Engagement, Research 

Kindly supported by Fundraise Up 

Fundraising and communications doesn’t sit in one team – it’s a culture across your hospice. But how do you build the relationships, trust and shared understanding needed to uncover the real stories that inspire support? 

In this session, hear from three perspectives on what it truly takes to embed fundraising and communications into organisational culture. 

We will explore how to break down silos and build meaningful connections between departments, from service delivery teams to fundraising and communications, creating a sustainable pipeline of ethical, authentic and compelling stories. 

This session will offer insight into: 

• Building trust with frontline staff to share sensitive, high-impact stories. 
• Creating shared ownership of fundraising and communications across teams. 
• Navigating ethical considerations with confidence and care. 
• Turning day-to-day care experiences into powerful narratives that drive income and engagement. 

Ultimately unlocking more powerful supporter connections and sustainable income. 

Speakers:  

• Laura MacLeman, Head of Communications and Campaigns, Centrepoint  
• Josh Leigh, Co-founder and Director, Hynt 
• Lois Howell, Chief Executive, St Wilfrid's Hospice 

👥: Income Generation, CEOs, Trustees, Comms, Clinical

Kindly sponsored by Gold sponsors, Brooks MacDonald 

How can we better equip and support our people to thrive at work? 

This panel brings together perspectives from financial services, hospice care and Compassionate Employers to explore how organisations can build knowledge, confidence and compassion across their workforce. The discussion will consider the role of education, practical support and workplace culture in creating an environment where people feel valued, equipped and supported. 

Expect practical insights, different perspectives and ideas that delegates can take back into their own organisations. 

Speakers: 

• Matt Ambler, Associate Director People, Keech Hospice 
• Kerry Holmes Head of Brooks Charities & Independent Financial Planning Director at Brooks MacDonald 
• Suzanne McGowan. Director of Brooks Benefits, Brooks MacDonald 
• Lucy Carpenter, Compassionate Employer Lead, Hospice UK 

👥: Workforce, CEOs