Amara Nwosu

MBCHB FRCP PhD CF SFHEA

Tag Archives: marie curie hospice liverpool


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New! Special Interest Forum in Technology and Digital Innovation in palliative care

We invite you to express interest in joining a new Special Interest Forum (SIF) in Technology and Digital Innovation in palliative care, which will be coordinated by the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland (APM – www.apmonline.org).

This SIF is open for members and non APM members (see below). If you are interested in being involved, please contact the APM office at office@compleat-online.co.uk expressing your interest.

Advancing digital technologies are impacting all areas of healthcare and it is clear these tools will play an increasingly significant role in the future of healthcare delivery, including within the fields of palliative and end of life care. Digital technologies include all aspects of telehealth, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, remote monitoring using apps or wearable devices, as well as electronic records and prescribing systems. The benefits of incorporating technologies to support a patient’s palliative care journey range from enhanced quality and coordination of care, improved symptom management, remote monitoring and improved communication.

In this rapidly changing landscape, it is important that as clinicians we are aware of the opportunities that different digital technologies may offer, both to improve healthcare and to support professionals. This special interest forum is open to any APM members who have an interest in, or current involvement in the application of digital technologies in palliative care.

The aims and objectives of the group will be agreed in detail at the convening meeting, but we hope the group will enable dissemination and implementation of digital innovation, connect members to leverage their skills and experiences for the benefit of the wider healthcare system and each other, and facilitate member networking to enable support and professional development in digital health and enable members to utilise the collective expertise within the group.

We encourage all members of the SIF to be a member of the APM. This SIF will be open to non APM members who have legitimate reason to be involved, e.g. technologists, social scientists etc. Please contact us if you, or your colleagues, are in other fields who may wish to be involved in this SIF.

If you are interested in being involved, please contact the APM office at office@compleat-online.co.uk expressing your interest.

Co-chairs of the Special Interest Forum (SIF) in Technology and Digital Innovation in palliative care

Dr Amara Nwosu, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Palliative Medicine, Lancaster Medical School and Consultant at Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Churchill Fellow 2020, Research Lead of Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool and Technology Editor Palliative Medicine.

Dr Suzanne Ford-Dunn, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and current Topol Digital Fellow


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Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool win the ‘Culture for Innovation Award’ at the North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards 2023

We are delighted to announce that Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool, in partnership with the Inclusionaries Lab, has won a prestigious award at an event recognising the best innovators and researchers in health and care in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards is the only health awards event for the region, run by three NHS bodies focussed on research and innovation. The Culture for Innovation Award was presented to Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool (in partnership with the Inclusionaries Lab, University of Liverpool) in recognition of the innovative ‘Designer in Residence’ project, which involves hosting a designer (Andrew Tibbles) in Marie Hospice Liverpool for a year, to research how design methods can improve future palliative care. This project has resulted in the opening of a temporary Research Hub in the clinical area of Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool, the creation of a prototype phone installation to capture people’s experiences of hospice care, and the development of future work to explore how design can support future digital legacy research.

Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool win the CULTURE FOR INNOVATION Award. North West Coast Research and Innovation Award 2023 at The Spine Liverpool.

Left to right: Dr Laura Chapman (Medical Director and Consultant in Palliative Care, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool), Sarah Stanley (Research Nurse, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool), Dr Amara Nwosu (Senior Clinical Lecture in Palliative Care, Lancaster University; Honorary Consultant in Palliative Care, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Research Lead, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool), Andrew Tibbles (PhD Design student, the Inclusionaries Lab – University of Liverpool), Hayley Hawkins (Deputy Head of Operations, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool).


Commenting on the award, Dr Amara Nwosu (Senior Clinical Lecture in Palliative Care, Lancaster University; Honorary Consultant in Palliative Care, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Research Lead, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool) said “We are delighted to be the first palliative care winner of an award from North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards. Palliative care is an essential component to effective healthcare systems; we are proud that our innovative work to use design methods to shape palliative care services has been acknowledged through this wonderful award”.

Hosted by the Innovation Agency; Clinical Research Network North West Coast (CRN NWC); and Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast (ARC NWC) the event attracted around 180 entries, of whom 36 were shortlisted in 12 categories. 

Special guest Professor Sir Stephen Powis, Medical Director of the NHS, said: “Every challenge we face is an opportunity to learn, collaborate and embrace new approaches to deliver improvements in the services we provide, for the benefit of patients, staff and the wider NHS. 

“As the NHS looks forward to its 75th birthday on 5th July, it is a good time to reflect on its journey and on the incredible research and innovation milestones that have transformed patient outcomes and that will help to build an NHS that is fit for the future.” 

The event took place at The Royal College of Physicians, The Spine in Liverpool, hosted by BBC TV North West and Breakfast presenter Roger Johnson. The full list of winners is below; to find out more about their entries, visit www.nwcawards.co.uk.  

WINNERS 2023

Culture for Innovation Award: Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool

Innovation in Workforce Development Award: Health Education England NW; Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; University of Central Lancashire

Patient Safety and Care Improvement Award: Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Innovation Agency

Research Student of the Year Award: Piotr Teodorowski, University of Liverpool

Ruth Young Award for Research Implementation: Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Outstanding Contribution to Patient and Public Involvement Award: Lancaster University

Research Delivery Team of the Year Award: Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Research Collaboration of the Year Award: Marine Lake Medical Practice and Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Primary Care and/or Community Research Team of the Year Award: Lancaster Medical Practice

Unsung Hero: NHS 75th Anniversary Award: Sue Smith of One Wirral CIC

Tackling Health Inequalities Award: Liverpool John Moores University; University of Liverpool; Edge Hill University

Sustainability Award: Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Broadgreen University Hospital


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Investigation and management of iron deficiency anaemia in a specialist palliative care setting and the role of intravenous iron: a descriptive analysis of hospice data

Anaemia is common in hospice populations and associated with significant symptom burden. Guidelines recommend investigating for and treating iron deficiency (ID), but there is little evidence of this practice in palliative care populations. Our paper (published in AMRC Open Research) describes the results of investigations for and subsequent management of ID in Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool.

Our data demonstrates that iron deficiency is common and can be safely treated with intravenous iron replacement, within current guidelines, in a hospice setting. Further research should define the optimum use of this approach in palliative care patients.

More information can be found here:

Steele T, Bonwick H, Nwosu AC and Chapman L. Investigation and management of iron deficiency anaemia in a specialist palliative care setting and the role of intravenous iron: a descriptive analysis of hospice data [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. AMRC Open Res 2021, 3:6 (https://doi.org/10.12688/amrcopenres.12963.1)

Medical photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com


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Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) deactivation in palliative care – a case involving best interest decisions for someone lacking capacity at the end of life

The use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) has increased due to benefits of preventing death from cardiac arrhythmia. However, the increasing use of ICDs has created new challenges for how to proactively manage deactivation of these devices in people who are dying, especially for those who lack capacity to make decisions about their care. The aim of this case report is to discuss the challenges of planning for deactivation of an ICD for a patient who lacked capacity at the end of life.


In this case report (published on AMRC Open Research) we describe the challenges of managing ICD deactivation in a dying patient with fluctuating capacity who had previously expressed a wish for the ICD to remain active. Although it is preferable to use advance care planning (ACP), to provide care in-line with patient-identified care preferences, we demonstrate how a best interest process can be used to make decisions about ICD deactivation at the end of life.

More information can be found in our case report here:

https://amrcopenresearch.org/articles/3-4