About the course:
The majority of healthcare professionals working in hospitals and the community look after patients with palliative care needs on a regular basis.
The highly-respected European Certificate in Essential Palliative Care (ECEPC) is aimed at helping professionals consolidate and develop their palliative care confidence and expertise. The course is designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals new to specialist palliative care services who wish to establish a strong foundation of knowledge on which to build specialist knowledge and skills.
The course was developed at Princess Alice Hospice in 2001. It is now offered at a range of host sites both nationally and internationally – including St Clare Hospice.
The ECEPC is an intensive nine-week self-directed course that requires approximately 50 hours of study. This includes the successful completion of a portfolio and VIVA assessment to pass the course. The qualification assesses candidates on a range of palliative care topics, including symptom issues, emergency conditions, the last 48 hours of life, difficult conversations, bereavement and common ethical issues.
All candidates are provided with an extensive course workbook and access to a comprehensive virtual learning site. All candidates are assigned a facilitator to support them through the course. The culmination of the course is the assessment day, which is mandatory for all candidates across the sites. It is therefore essential you are available for the assessment day, so please consider this before signing up for the ECEPC course.
Staff working in hospices in the UK can apply to the Wolfson Foundation (via Hospice UK) to cover part of the cost of this programme.
Watch the ECEPC intro video here
ECEPC frequently asked questions:
Who can apply for the course?
The ECEPC course is open to registered healthcare professionals from any discipline that provides palliative care. Doctors, nurses, nursing associates, paramedics, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech & language therapists from primary, secondary and tertiary settings are all eligible to apply for the course.
What it will cover?
The course is a nine-week, home-based course with a multi-professional programme. The culmination of the course is an assessment day, which is mandatory for all candidates. The programme will be covering:
- What is palliative care and who is it for?
- Patients with emergency conditions
- Breaking bad news to patients and families
- Common ethical issues
- Symptom issues in palliative care
- Patients in the last 48 hours of life
- Bereavement and support
What will I receive?
- An extensive course workbook
- Access to a comprehensive virtual learning site
- An assigned facilitator to support you through the course
How can I pay for the course?
The cost of the course is £500 per candidate. Once you have completed your application form, we will contact you to arrange payment by invoice. Candidates, or their organisation, can then arrange payment via purchase order or BACs payment.
What else do I need to know?
As this is an intense course over a nine-week period, it is recommend that candidates avoid long holidays or other commitments during the course dates.
What happens if I need to withdraw or defer the course?
If a candidate wishes to withdraw from the course before the launch, the candidate will receive a refund of the course cost, less a £50 administration charge. All course materials (including the handbook) must be returned.
If a candidate wishes to withdraw after the course launch, the candidate will not receive a refund of the course fees.
If a candidate wishes to defer to the next course after the course launch, there is a discretionary charge of £150 payable to St Clare. Candidates will then recommence the course from the next cohort.
For more information, click here.
Facilitators:
Course Co-ordinator and Facilitator: Dr Jonathan Riordan (Consultant)
Course Co-ordinator and Facilitator: Trevor Farrington (Nurse Consultant)
Course Facilitator: Dr Qamar Abbas (Medical Director)
Course Facilitator: Sarah Cook (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
Course Facilitator: Dr Sarah Foot (Consultant)
Course Facilitator: Caroline Hockett (Head of Nursing for Specialist Palliative Care at Princess Alexandra Hospital)
Course Facilitator: Zoe Hollins (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
Course Facilitator: Lynne Hooper (Specialist Community Triage Nurse)
Course Facilitator: Alice Jones (Senior Therapist)
Course Facilitator: Alison Kempthorne (Head of Community Nursing)
Course Facilitator: Dr Enam Khan (Specialty Doctor)
Course Facilitator: Dr Arjun Kingdon (Consultant)
Course Facilitator: Dr Ros Marvin (Consultant)
Course Facilitator: Michelle Pipe (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
Course Facilitator: Nicky Reid Norris (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
Course Facilitator: Alexandra Smith (Physiotherapist)
Course Facilitator: Sam Taylor (Clinical Nurse Specialist)
Course Administrator: Samantha Haythorpe
Senior clinical staff from St Clare Hospice who will also work as facilitators and mentors for candidates.
Course dates:
Spring 2024
24th October 2023 – Registration open
- Note: Registration closes 31st March 2024
15th April 2024 – Course launch event and meet facilitators
- Time: 6pm
- Venue: TBC
19th June 2024 – Remote assessment day (Mandatory attendance)
- Time: 9.30am – 2pm (latest)
- Venue: Remote
Download the key 2024 dates here.
Autumn 2024
May 2024 – Registration will open – date to be confirmed
9th September 2024 – Course launch event and meet facilitators
- Time: 6pm
- Venue: TBC
13th November 2024 – Remote assessment day (Mandatory attendance)
- Time: 9.30am – 2pm (latest)
- Venue: Remote
Download the key 2024 dates here.
For more information on registering for our Spring 2024 or Autumn 2024 intake, please get in touch:
Course Administrator Sam Haythorpe on 01279 773700 or email samantha.haythorpe@stclarehospice.org.uk
Funding:
Course Fee: £500
Staff working in hospices in the UK can apply to the Wolfson Foundation (via Hospice UK) to cover part of the cost of this programme. For information on applying for funding visit: hospiceuk.org/professionals/grants/wolfson-bursaries-hospice-staff
Register your interest
For more information on taking part in the ECEPC and to register your interest for the course, get in touch with our Course Administrator Sam Haythorpe on 01279 773700 or email samantha.haythorpe@stclarehospice.org.uk