P-226 Adapting higher education to meet the learning needs of the workforce in palliative care: a university hospice partnership approach

<h3>Background</h3> In Scotland, people are living longer, the prevalence of chronic conditions is rising, and the need for palliative care is projected to increase significantly (Finucane, Bone, Etkind, et al. BMJOpen. 2021;11:e041317). Specifically, there is a need for increased capacity in specialist and generalist palliative care skills (Scottish Government. Palliative and end-of-life care strategy aims principles and priorities. Scottish Government; 2023). The changing landscape is compounded by Scotland’s healthcare staffing crisis (Royal College of Nursing. The nursing workforce in Scotland 2024 report. Royal College of Nursing, Scotland; 2024). The workforce faces evolving needs, not least the need for healthcare professionals to hold sufficient knowledge to support the delivery of palliative care (Hospice UK. The future of hospice care in Scotland. Hospice UK; 2021). In line with strategy (The Scottish Government. Palliative care strategy: Palliative Care Matters for All. Scottish Government; 2024), a key component of the partnership between St Columba’s Hospice Care and Queen Margaret University is the education of healthcare professionals working with people with palliative care needs. The university hospice partnership supports the provision of two higher education programmes and contributes to the palliative care curriculum across the university. <h3>Aim</h3> To outline how the university hospice partnership has helped to widen accessibility and increase the flexibility of palliative care higher education for health professionals. <h3>Method</h3> The following changes have been introduced to the programmes since 2022: a move to online delivery, introducing asynchronous learning opportunities, increasing module choice, opening to applicants globally, and advertising the option to access our modules as stand-alone or electively from other programmes. <h3>Results</h3> Our responsive approach increased accessibility and engagement, to include students from a wider range of disciplines and geographical locations. There has been a consistent number of students accessing our programmes. Increasingly, however, potential applicants face barriers to accessing funding and support from their employers. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Our responsive and ongoing adaptive approach has widened the student demographic. Increasingly, healthcare professionals face significant challenges in accessing the support necessary to engage with higher education. The university partnership recognises that to meet the ongoing educational needs of the workforce, it is crucial to continue with our responsive, flexible and adaptable approach.