Library of Conversations
“…we have lost the familiarity we once had with that process, and we have lost the vocabulary and etiquette that served us so well in past times, when death was acknowledged to be inevitable.”
— Katherine Mannix
The life of Dr Rachel Clarke
In this Radio 4 episode of Doctor Doctor, Dr Phil Hammond explores the life of palliative care specialist Dr Rachel Clarke. She discusses the importance of compassion at the end of life in an NHS overwhelmed, the lack of funding for palliative care and the lessons the pandemic should teach us about the importance of end of life planning.
Interview with Dr Bernie Marden
From his vision for end of life care at Somerset ICB, to the impact of his Catholic upbringing on his own preparations for death, Dr Bernie Marden shares his personal and professional views on how death is, and should be accepted as a part of life.
Interview with Dr Mark Luciani
With GPs in short supply and an NHS overrun, many advanced care planning conversations aren’t happening early enough, leading to a perfect storm of poor end of life outcomes for patients. Dr Mark Luciani describes how he suffered burnout and moral injury but has returned with an innovative solution.
Compassion and dementia
In his second interview with Part of Life, ex-President of the BMA, Sir Al Aynsley Green shares his wife’s journey through dementia and calls for compassion to be at the heart of end of life care planning.
Interview with Kathryn Mannix
Wayne de Leeuw, ex-palliative care nurse and CEO of Dorothy House Hospice interviews writer and palliative care specialist Kathryn Mannix about societal taboos, hidden mourners, NHS palliative care integration and the potential for adopting the wisdom and death literacy of diverse communities.