European Certificate in Essential Palliative Care – Spring 2025

9 Weeks Distance Learning Programme

Introductory Evening -7th April 2025 6:00pm

Eligible to attend: Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Health and Social Care Professionals & Paramedics

The aim of the European Certificate in Essential Palliative Care programme is improve the care of patients and enable health professionals, irrespective of setting, to practice the essential principles of palliative care. It endeavors to raise the profile of palliative care, engender confidence in healthcare professionals and foster communication between healthcare professionals.

This is an intensive nine-week, distance/blended learning programme based on the well-established Princess Alice Certificate in Essential Palliative Care running in the UK for many years. Milford Care Centre is the coordinating site for the Republic of Ireland.

The course explores the main principles and practices in palliative care, some of which include:

• Pain and its management
• The management of physical symptoms
• The management of non-physical symptoms
• Emergencies in Palliative Care
• Caring for people in the last days and hours of life
• Loss and grief

It is estimated that these main sections will require at least 10 hours of work per week to complete, including viewing online content, reading the course handbook and reviewing the questions at the end of each section. Learning is assessed through completion of a portfolio, multiple choice question exam (may be online), and oral examination (may be virtual). An online learning site (learningzone@pah.org.uk)) has also been established to assist candidates with their studies.

Applicants must be working in a suitable practice setting e.g. in an acute hospital, nursing home, community or hospice and should have direct contact with patients requiring a palliative approach to care.

Accreditation/CPD:

35 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) approved by An Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann (The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland).

90 Continuing Professional Development credits from Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

In order to book a place on this course, we need to find out some information about you, which we ask you to complete as part of the booking process. This includes your postal address (including postcode), which we require in order to send you the course information pack.

*Important: 

Milford Care Centre reserves the right to cancel courses and will provide a full refund to applicants where this occurs. If the applicant is unable to attend a course following payment of the course fee and provides at least 28 days’ notice before the course start date, a full refund will be given. If 10-28 days’ notice of cancellation is given, 50% of the fee will be provided and where less than 10 days’ notice is provided of cancellation, course fees will not be refunded.

*Notice- A processing fee of €7.95 will be added to the payment of European Certificate course bookings to cover Credit Card Fees. There are no fees for payments through electronic fund transfer (EFT). Please contact education@milfordcarecentre.ie if you wish to make a payment by EFT.