Death and dying, palliative care

The Open University (OU) has embarked on a groundbreaking study examining the impact of the Medical Examiners Service on families coping with loss.

Researchers at the OU have created a grab and go guide to support providers of palliative and end of life care services. The guide centres around the Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: a national framework for local action, a framework which presents an overarching vision, six ambitions and eight foundations to help local health and social care leaders build accessible, responsive, effective, and personal care at the end of life.

Now in its third year, the Research Excellence Awards celebrates and recognises the achievement of research at The Open University. Among the winners was Dr Erica Seruset Borgstrom, winner of the Early Career Researcher award for her research into death and dying. 

Research by WELS academics has resulted in 14 nominations at this year’s Open University Research Excellence Awards, including a project heralded as ‘groundbreaking’ by Dame Elizabeth Fradd DBE.

A new BBC Ideas film, created with input from WELS academic Dr Erica Borgstrom, looks at how and why to draw up and end-of-life plan.