Decision Making: Comfort and Compromise Workshop

The Palliative Care CEN committee are excited to announce our 2026 event:

Decision Making: Comfort and Compromise Workshop

Presented by: Professor Shaun O’Keeffe and Professor Paula Leslie FRCSLT & ASHA-Fellow

When: Friday 17th April 2026, 9:30-16:00

Where: RCSLT Building 2-3 White Hart Yard, London SE1 1NX

What to expect: We will discuss the ethics of decision making and complex situations that SLTs face when working with patients and caregivers across ages and settings within palliative and supportive care. We will review the factors that cause burden to families and care partners. We will discuss why our best clinical intentions may be misaligned or possibly harmful to patients and families. We will formulate responses to case studies based on ethical concepts and clinical knowledge.

Our approach to working with patients and families is gradually moving from one of paternalistic risk avoidance to collaboration in a multidimensional scenario. Professionals may fear stepping outside of the received practice in their facility or region, which is often based on historical preference rather than evidence and best practice. We will address the importance of understanding the bigger picture, backed by bioethical consideration and evidence.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This course is intended for SLTs and student SLTs working with adults or children.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this day, participants will be able to:

· Explain the narrative structure as applied to health and illness

· Interpret the concept of “comfort”

· Identify issues that cause burden to patients and families

· Critically discuss the use and pitfalls of language used in decision support

SPEAKERS

Paula Leslie, PhD, MA(Bioethics)

FRCSLT, Reg HCPC, ASHA Fellow, CCC-SLP

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists ~ Professional Advisor

N.I.C.E External Assessment Group, Northern Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, UK ~ Pre-Registrant Clinical Scientist

Center for Bioethics, University of Pittsburgh, USA (Research Ethics & Society Initiative) ~ Consultant

Paula supports clinicians in research and training for complex decision-making, ethics, end of life and vulnerable populations. A member of the American Society for Bioethics & Humanities, American Speech-Language Hearing Association SIGs in swallowing disorders and geriatrics, and founder member of UKSRG. Currently working part time for the NICE Guidance External Assessment Group, NHS Northern Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering Directorate, Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Trust, and Lancaster Medical School focusing on Problem Based Learning.

Shaun O'Keeffe, MD FRCPI

Consultant Geriatrician in Galway University Hospitals. He is the National Clinical Lead for the Irish NHS for consent, mental capacity law and resuscitation policy. Research interests include dysphagia and ethical issues in the care of older people.

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