5 February 2008
Gordon Brown has unveiled plans for the world’s first institute of palliative care.
The Prime Minister attended a ceremony today at King’s College in South London to reveal plans for The Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, the first international academic establishment in the world to focus specifically on palliative care research and teaching linked to clinical care. More than a million people are expected to benefit from the centre in its first year.
Speaking at the ceremony, where he unveiled a portrait of Cicely Saunders, Mr Brown said:
"When this new Institute opens in the autumn of next year, it will be the first in the world and you should be very proud. It will be the first to bring together research, education, information and clinical care under a single roof and it is a true centre of excellence and, like Dame Cicely herself, a real pioneer for the world."
The work of the institute will advance understanding in palliative care and treatment for patients, as well as improve interaction between patients and healthcare professionals. It will also provide undergraduate, masters and postgraduate teaching for students and healthcare professionals from around the world, with key research areas to include breathlessness, fatigue, sleeplessness and pain.
Work on the institute, which will be situated next to King’s College Hospital in South London, will now begin following three years of fundraising.
The opening ceremony was chaired by the Chairman of College Council, Lord Douro, with speeches from the Chairman of Cicely Saunders International, Mr John McGrath and Cynthia Benz, a patient being treated at the palliative care unit in King’s College Hospital.
Attendees included key donors to the Institute and Department of Palliative Care, key staff who have been involved in the development of the institute, and other friends of King’s College London and the Foundation.
Cicely Saunders International was founded in 2002 by Dame Cicely Saunders in the drive for quality research to improve the care and treatment of all patients with progressive illness. Mr Brown featured Dame Cicely as one of the eight heroes in his book, Courage, which was published last year.
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