Pre-Conference Workshops - Tuesday 9 September 2025

Join internationally recognised educator Dr Seow for an interactive train-the-trainer session that equips you to deliver The Waiting Room Revolution—a transformative, human-centred workshop series for patients, families, and communities facing serious illness.

You’ll experience the full “workshop in a box” firsthand, explore the 7 Keys to better communication and care, and walk away with everything you need to run your own sessions—completely free.

• Firsthand experience of the full workshop
• Access to the free “workshop in a box” toolkit
• Strategies to teach the 7 Keys
• Confidence to lead in your own setting

Be part of a movement to put the human back at the centre of care.

People with disability, their families, and support staff often face inequities in accessing end-of-life care, planning, and bereavement support. This national workshop invites participants to explore how we can bridge the gap between disability and palliative care through collaboration, education, and shared innovation.

• Practical examples and resources for cross-sector collaboration
• Insights into service delivery and innovations across regions
• Space to identify shared challenges and build a national network
• A chance to connect with others committed to dignity in care

Be part of the movement to improve end-of-life outcomes for people with disability.

Frances Sanders CEO, Nightlife Disability Services

Frances has held senior management and executive positions across the mental health, disability, and human services sector for more than 25 years.

She brings strong skills in service design, change management and project management and strategy. She is known for her professional and academic knowledge in co-design and member-led services, enabling consumer and carer input into decision making and governance. 

She is currently the CEO of Nightlife Disability Services and a Director at Forensicare (Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health).

Heather McMinn, Disability and Palliative Care Advocate

Heather is currently working as the Team Leader for Volunteer Services Program, Eastern Palliative Care; Victoria having taken this position up in May 2025. This followed several years as the Senior Disability Sector Consultant, National Disability Services where one of her focus areas was exploring collaborative opportunities for people with a disability, disability providers and the palliative care sector could reduce the barriers to equity of access to life limiting illness information planning and support choices and control.

Heather’s background includes expertise in grief and loss counselling, a master’s in public health and leadership within health, disability, and government roles. Heather’s passion for inclusive and equitable health and service access for all people with life limiting illness including people with disability has been informed by her lived experience as a carer for a sibling with an intellectual disability and from raising a son with cystic fibrosis until his death as a young adult.

In addition, experienced presenters from the Victorian Disability Advisory Group and Disability and Palliative Agencies from the local Brisbane area have provided agreement to present.

What does best practice look like at the end of life—across cultures, systems, and settings? Join us for this international workshop and discover how the 10/40 Model is transforming care for the dying in over 60 countries.

Led by members of the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person, this workshop offers deep insights into the 10 key principles and 40 clinical outcomes that underpin quality care in the final days of life. Hear experiences from Australia, New Zealand, and India, explore cultural adaptations, and learn how research—including the EU’s Horizon 2020 iLIVE Project—is informing global standards.

Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, policy maker or advocate, this is your chance to explore a model that’s reshaping care with compassion and evidence at its core.

Who Should Attend?

Health and social care professionals, researchers, volunteers, and program leaders in palliative and end-of-life care across all jurisdictions.

What You’ll Gain:

• A clear understanding of the 10/40 Model and its core outcomes
• Insights from international implementation sites and cultural contexts
• Exposure to the latest research supporting best practices
• Inspiration for adapting the model locally and globally
• A chance to collaborate across borders

Dr Susie Wilkinson, Palliative Care Unit, University of Liverpool, UK

Dr Susie Wilkinson (RN) holds an MSc and PhD in Cancer and Palliative Care from the University of Manchester. Susie worked clinically in Palliative Care for many years. She founded and directed the first Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit at University College Medical School London, where she led research until her retirement. An internationally recognized expert, Susie has researched, published, and lectured on various aspects of palliative care, including the 10/40 model for providing optimal care to the dying, communication skills and complementary therapies, Susie was also a founder and lead of the NHS national Advanced Communication Skills Training programme, “Connected,” which trained senior healthcare professionals in cancer and palliative care. Currently, Susie serves as the Executive Director of the Centre for Communication Skills and as the International Liaison Lead for the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person. She is also an Honorary Fellow at the Palliative Care Unit, University of Liverpool.

Professor John Ellershaw Professor of Palliative Medicine Head of the Palliative Care Unit University of Liverpool

John Ellershaw is Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University of Liverpool, where he has led the development of palliative care research and education since 200  As Head of the University’s Palliative Care Unit, he supervises a multi-professional team engaged in the delivery of research on four core themes: Best Care for the Dying Person; Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacology; Education Research & Development, and Supportive & Palliative Care.  He also plays a major role in undergraduate and postgraduate education in relation to both palliative care and communication skills.  Professor Ellershaw has held several national leadership roles in palliative and end of life care with the UK Department of Health and is the founding Chair of the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person, a group of leading thinkers, practitioners, and researchers from 64 counties united by the common goal of improving care for dying people and their families across the globe.

Dr Agnes van der Heide, professor at the Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Dr. Agnes van der Heide has 30 years of experience in research on end-of-life care and end-of-life decision making. She has led and co-led numerous local, regional and international research projects focusing on epidemiological, clinical, ethical and legal issues. Topics studied include clinical and organisational aspects of palliative care, advance care planning, care in the dying phase, palliative sedation, and medical assistance in dying. Agnes is a member of the team coordinating implementation of tools to support use of the 10/40 Model in the Netherlands. She was principal investigator for the recently completed, Horizon 2020 funded iLIVE project, in which 13 countries collaborated to study the experience of dying in the 21st century.

Associate Professor Mark Boughey, Director of Palliative Care, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

Mark Boughey has 35 years’ experience in palliative care provision with leadership positions within State, National, and International programs and a member of International Collaborative since 2013. In his role as Deputy Director of the Melbourne based Centre for Palliative Care, he has overseen the development of the Victorian 10/40 model congruent Care Plan for the Dying Person, which was adopted in the State Government’s Department of Health service agreements priorities from 2018, with further variations to accommodate Covid related deaths and patients within Victorian correctional facilities.

Discover the power of storytelling in healthcare. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to craft clear, compelling and authentic written narratives that elevate patient, family, and clinician experiences—from case notes to reflective practice and advocacy.

Drawing on techniques from ethnography, narrative medicine and creative non-fiction, you’ll explore how writing can be a powerful tool to process complex experiences, communicate meaning, and drive change. Through guided exercises in reflection, writing and revision, you’ll begin shaping a meaningful piece of work grounded in your own clinical practice.

Whether you’re new to reflective writing or looking to sharpen your narrative skills, this workshop offers a supportive space to grow your voice—and connect with others doing the same.

Who Should Attend?

Clinicians and healthcare professionals, educators, researchers, and anyone looking to communicate more meaningfully through writing.

What You’ll Gain:

• Tools for writing with empathy, clarity, and purpose
• Techniques to reflect and revise with confidence
• A draft narrative you can build on for personal, educational or policy use
• Strategies to combat burnout through creative expression
• A new network of like-minded writers in healthcare

Natalie Bradford, Queensland University of Technology

Professor Natalie Bradford is a clinician researcher in paediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer and palliative care at the Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes Centre at QUT. She is also Director of the newly funded NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Paediatric Palliative Care. Her program of health services research develops, implements and evaluates healthcare solutions, harnessing technology. Her work spans the continuum of children’s supportive care across hospitals, homes and communities and aims to enhance the experience of healthcare through improved communication and sharing of information.

Myra Bluebond-Langner, Professor of Palliative Care for Children and Young People, Emeritus UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences, UCL Great Ormond  Street Institute of Child Health Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care London, England; Board of Governors’ Professor of Anthropology Emerita, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ USA

Professor Myra Bluebond-Langer is a distinguished anthropologist and academic whose work has profoundly influenced the fields of paediatric palliative care. She is currently Emeritus Professor of Palliative Care for Children and Young People at University College London (UCL) Institute of Child Health, and most recently True Colours Chair and academic lead for the Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care—a collaborative initiative between UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. She is particularly renowned for her ethnographic research with children and their families, exploring how they understand, experience, and cope with illness and care. She has authored seminal works, including The Private Worlds of Dying Children and In the Shadow of Illness, which have significantly contributed to the field of paediatric palliative care.

Stuart Ekberg, Associate Professor, Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying, Flinders University, South Australia

Associate Professor Stuart Ekberg is a researcher specialising in health communication, with a focus on paediatric palliative care. He is an Associate Professor at Flinders University in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying. His research primarily employs Conversation Analysis (CA) to examine social interactions in healthcare settings, including palliative care for children and adults, mental health care, and healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He has developed eLearning modules to support effective communication with families of children with life-limiting conditions and has contributed to the development of prompt lists to enhance consultations between families and healthcare professionals.

Effective respiratory symptom management in palliative care—especially for non-cancer conditions—can be complex and often controversial. This workshop, led by the ANZSPM Respiratory Palliative Care Special Interest Group (SIG), brings together interdisciplinary experts to explore practical and ethical approaches that support shared decision-making and improve patient outcomes.

Through case-based discussion and expert insights, we’ll explore collaborative, patient-centred approaches to managing cough, breathlessness, and the withdrawal of non-invasive ventilation. The workshop will also address the challenges of implementing non-pharmacological strategies in the home and the nuances of informed consent and palliative sedation.

Who Should Attend?

Health professionals involved in the care of people with chronic respiratory illness—including palliative care clinicians, respiratory specialists, nurses, and allied health practitioners.

What You’ll Gain:

• Up-to-date knowledge on managing respiratory symptoms in non-cancer conditions
• Practical strategies for pharmacological and non-pharmacological care
• Insight into ethical complexities around palliative sedation and ventilation withdrawal
• Opportunities to learn from multi-professional and interdisciplinary experts