His research interests include exploring the interface between Primary Care and Specialist Palliative Care, particularly regarding continuity and out of hours care and linking research to service development. He is also interested in methodologies for developing a palliative care evidence base, particularly the application of Complexity Theory, Critical Realism and Action Research in Palliative Care.
He is a past member of the Science Committee of the Association for Palliative Medicine of the UK and Ireland, the NCRI Palliative Care Clinical Studies Group and the Macmillan Primary Palliative Care Research Collaborative.
He is an Associate Editor of BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care.
After qualifying in 1982, and completing general professional training in anaesthesia, he spent three years in Nepal (1988-91). Returning to the UK he entered general practice working as a GP principal for five years. From 1998 he has worked in Palliative Medicine, first as a Specialist Registrar and since 2002 as a Consultant in Coventry PCT and Myton Hospices Coventry and Warwickshire for which he was Medical Director from 2007 to 2009.
He was involved in the founding of the MSc Health Sciences (Palliative Care) at Warwick in 2002 and since 2003 has been co-director of the course.
He gained a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Warwick in 2007 for his thesis entitled "Exploring Complexity in Community Palliative Care: A Practitioner Based Approach to Research and Development."
From 2008-2013 he led palliative care research at Warwick Medical School. Projects included: Exploring reasons for emergency hospital admission of lung cancer and COPD patients; the experiences of bereaved carers of care delivered by health care assistants to dying patients in the community; action research education and evaluation of advance care planning training; the development of an education programme and decision support tool in end of life care for ambulance crews and the evaluation of a training programme in end of life care for consultants in other specialties.
In January 2013 he returned to Nepal where he will be involved in palliative care education and development and health services research.
Title | Funder | Award start | Award end |
---|---|---|---|
End-of-Life Care Decision Support Tool for Ambulance Service: Simulated Testing | West Midlands Strategic Health Authority | 01 Mar 2013 | 31 Aug 2013 |
Receiving End of Life Care at Home | University of Sheffield | 27 Nov 2012 | 31 Dec 2012 |
Letter of Variation: CCAT & MacPACC salary support and project allowances from April 11- December 12 | Macmillan Cancer Support | 01 Apr 2011 | 31 Dec 2012 |
Dimbleby Cancer Care Research fund: Receiving end of life care at home: experiences of the bereaved carers of cancer patients. | Dimbleby Cancer Care | 01 Nov 2010 | 31 Jan 2012 |
Exploring, understanding and reducing emergency cancer admissions (EURECA) | Macmillan Cancer Support | 01 Jan 2010 | 31 Dec 2011 |
Definition & Evaluation of Models of Primary & Secondary Care Collaborative Working at the End of Life | National Institute for Health Research (DoH) | 01 Oct 2009 | 31 Mar 2011 |
Development of End of Life Care Education for Ambulance Clinicians | Coventry University | 01 Sep 2009 | 30 Jun 2010 |
NHS West Midlands - Tender: Evaluation of a Pilot Programme to Develop a Consultant with another, End of Life Care - CWASI | NHS West Midlands | 01 Jan 2009 | 31 Dec 2009 |