Sheffield consultant awarded fellowship to study ‘unheard voices’ in end-of-life care
A Palliative Medicine Consultant at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded a prestigious national research fellowship dedicated to better understanding ‘unheard voices’ and improving care at the very end-of-life.
Dr Catriona Mayland, Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield, has been granted a highly competitive National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellowship award.
Catriona’s work will focus on understanding care in the final days of life, particularly for those dying at home or in care homes, and on better involving people from ethnically diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in palliative care research.
Her research comes at a pivotal moment amid ongoing national conversations about assisted dying.
People nearing the end of life, including those living with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses, are physically and emotionally dependent on good palliative and end-of-life care that recognises their unique physical, emotional, spiritual and practical needs.
The quality of end-of-life care holds a profound significance for them and those important to them, and poor care can lead to suffering, complicated grief, and unnecessary hospital admissions.
Through this fellowship, Catriona aims to generate the evidence needed to improve care for those at the end of life, highlight best practices, and develop more inclusive and compassionate research methods.
Compared with other specialties, it is less common for a clinician with a background in palliative medicine to embark on a research career, and Catriona hopes the research will support other future leaders in health and social care research to access tailored support for professional and personal development.
Dr Catriona Mayland, Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield, said: “I am truly honoured to be awarded this significant fellowship which highlights the growing importance of palliative care and the need for research that includes all voices, especially those so often unheard. I hope it encourages others, especially in underrepresented areas like palliative medicine, to pursue clinical academic careers. Above all, my goal is to contribute to better experiences for patients and those important to them during such critical times.”
Professor Mark Cobb, Clinical Director for Therapeutics & Palliative Care for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted that Catriona has been awarded this prestigious fellowship which recognises her significant research in this field and her plans to develop it further. It is a real badge of honour among researchers and we are very proud of Catriona as palliative care is an under-researched area of clinical practice.”
The project will be delivered over a four-year period.