Brother of the founder of the hospice movement to deliver lecture

Elderly lady and family in a hospice
08 Sep 2015 15:16:27.337
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The brother of Dame Cicely Saunders, who is universally acclaimed as the pioneer of the modern hospice is to speak about his sister’s legacy during a visit to The University of Nottingham later this month.

Christopher Saunders, former trustee and now life president of Cicely Saunders International, will deliver a guest seminar, The Hospice Movement — Then and Now: From Cicely Saunders’ Brother for the University’s Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care on Thursday September 24.

Dame Cicely originally trained in nursing and social work and devoted her professional life to the care of dying and bereaved people after she qualified as a doctor in 1958. She went on to found St Christopher’s Hospice in London in 1967 and encouraged a radical new approach to end of life care.
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In his seminar, brother Christopher will speak about how the opening of St Christopher’s was the foundation stone of the modern hospice movement which 48 years later has spread around the world to more than 145 countries.

He will offer some insights into how Dame Cicely started working on terminal care, why she made it her life’s work, what has changed since then and how she achieved so much, while introducing some of the key people who made vital contributions along the way.

Jane Seymour, Sue Ryder Professor in Palliative and End of Life Studies and Head of the centre, said: “We are honoured that Christopher Saunders has agreed to visit The University of Nottingham and very much looking forward to welcoming him to the Sue Ryder Care Centre. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about Dame Cicely’s life and work and to share reflections on the global significance of her legacy for palliative care today and into the future.”

The Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care (SRCC), was founded in 2006 following a generous philanthropic donation from a private trust and has a special collaborative relationship with the charity Sue Ryder, a key provider of palliative and neurological care.

The centre aims to carry out research which will lead to greater understanding of patient experience of chronic, debilitating and life-threatening illness and improvement in professional delivery of healthcare.

The research focus of the centre reaches beyond cancer into traditionally under-researched areas including older people, stroke and dementia and its remit extends to prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and care of the dying and the translation of the latest research findings into real-world benefits for patients and their families.

The SRCC’s work with charities and government bodies has an international reputation in developing new approaches to palliative and end of life care.

The centre was one of a number of high-impact projects chosen to receive support fromImpact: The Nottingham Campaign, the university’s biggest every fundraising campaign which was launched in 2011.

Christopher Saunder’s guest lecture will take place on Thursday September 24 from 12.30pm to 2.30pm in the A30 lecture theatre at Lakeside Arts Centre on University Park. The event is open to all, but those interested in attending should register by email to ann.gibbons@nottingham.ac.uk 

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Research Project of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2014. It is ranked in the world’s top one per cent of universities by the QS World University Rankings, and 8th in the UK by research power according to REF 2014.

The University of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNMC) is holding events throughout 2015 to celebrate 15 years as a pioneer of transnational education. Based in Semenyih, UNMC was established as the UK's first overseas campus in Malaysia and one of the first world-wide.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…


Story credits

More information is available from Glenys Caswell, Research Fellow, in The Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care, University of Nottingham on +44 (0)115 823 0872, glenys.caswell@nottingham.ac.uk

Emma Thorne Emma Thorne - Media Relations Manager

Email: emma.thorne@nottingham.ac.uk Phone: +44 (0)115 951 5793 Location: University Park

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