Researchers at King’s College London have launched two pioneering projects aimed at improving care for children with life-limiting conditions. The projects, led by Dr Bethan Page and Dr Dee Fields, are being conducted at the Centre of Excellence in Children’s Palliative Care and are funded by Kentown Support, under the leadership of Professor Lorna Fraser.
The first project will focus on improving social care support for families of children with life-limiting conditions. This will involve gathering experiences and recommendations from parents through interviews and focus groups. The project will also involve collaborative workshops with both parents and professionals to prioritize the most urgent changes and identify potential areas for future research.
The second project will explore the education and training needs of parent carers of children with medical complexity. This often includes learning specialized care skills, such as managing feeding tubes and tracheostomies. The project will work with a parent advisory group to design a survey and identify gaps in existing support and training. This will inform the development of improved and more consistent training resources to better meet the needs of families.
Dr Bethan Page, who has conducted research in this area before, expressed excitement about the potential impact of these projects. “There has been hardly any research in social care for children with life-limiting conditions and services are often not fit to meet the needs of children and families,” she said. “We are looking forward to working with parents and professionals to explore how we can improve support for children and families.”
These projects represent significant steps towards improving the quality of care and support for families facing the challenges of life-limiting childhood conditions.
For media inquiries, please contact Debbie Jacobs, Marketing and Communications Manager at Kentown Support, at debbie.jacobs@kentownsupport.org.uk or 0730 994 1438.
Kentown Support is a non-profit organization established in 2025 with the support of the Kentown Wizard Foundation. Their mission is to improve the provision of community palliative care for children and families across the UK. They work to develop sustainable, high-quality community-based children’s palliative care teams, support and collaborate with healthcare professionals and local services, and share and fund research and training resources to drive advancements in children’s palliative care.
King’s College London is one of the top universities in the world, with an outstanding reputation for teaching and research. With over 33,000 students from 150 countries, and 8,500 staff, King’s is focused on making a positive impact on people, society, and the planet. Their Vision 2029 sets out bold ambitions for the future as they look towards their 200th anniversary. For more information, visit their website at kcl.ac.uk/news.
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