Centre for Excellence: Resilient, Focused, and Looking Forward
The LOROS Centre for Excellence, much like the hospice itself, has not been immune to the difficult financial headwinds that have swept across the hospice sector in the last eighteen months. These have inevitably brought change, including a necessary restructure which has meant we have had to say goodbye to some valued colleagues and friends.
Despite all of this, our commitment to improving the quality of palliative and end of life care remains rock solid. We are optimistic about the future and that we are on a more financially stable footing. We are still navigating a "new normal" and that requires even greater clarity of purpose, as we continue to work closely with our partners across the integrated health and care system
Our vision remains unchanged: to lead the way in delivering evidence-based improvements in compassionate care for people approaching the end-of-life and their families, through research, education and influencing practice through system-wide collaboration.
As we move forward, we will build on our valued partnerships across the local health and care system which are fundamental to achieving our goal: ensuring that more people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland experience good deaths — supported, dignified and in the place of their choosing.
With Camilla Barrow serving as Interim CEO of LOROS Hospice, Dr Chris Williams is now leading the Centre for Excellence — supported by an exceptional team that continues to demonstrate creativity, compassion, and drive. Together, we are committed to delivering the strategy we’ve laid out for 2025–2030.
This means:
Harnessing research and education to deliver practical, frontline improvements in care.
Advocating for fair and equitable access to high-quality palliative care across the entire community, including people and families from all backgrounds.
Strengthening palliative and end-of-life care for people living with frailty and multimorbidity, and those receiving care in the community and in care homes.
Leading national conversations around palliative and end-of-life care — including the Assisted Dying Bill, where we will be a strong voice, advocating with clarity and compassion.
Exploring new and innovative approaches to sustainable funding so our work can grow and thrive.
Despite the recent challenges, this is a time of real opportunity. We have a renewed focus and are more determined than ever — to improve care, influence policy and practice, and most importantly, improve the lives of those we serve.
Education That Makes a Difference – Launch of the new 6 Month Training Planner
At the heart of everything we do is the belief that good palliative care starts with great communication and confident health care professionals, that are equipped and prepared to have tough conversations.
That’s why, despite ongoing financial pressures, we continue to deliver a wide ranging education programme for staff across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Driven by our mission to improve end of life care for all, we are proud to be able to still offer, at least for the duration of our current education planner, fully funded training on the majority of our courses — with only three currently carrying a charge. This reflects our ongoing commitment to improve the standard of palliative care, even in challenging times.
Our training offer focuses on:
Communication skills — the cornerstone of compassionate palliative care.
Clinical refreshers — keeping frontline professionals up to date and confident.
Creating a shared language and understanding around what a “good death” and “good palliative and end-of-life care” really means in different environments.
Whether you’re a nurse in a care home, a GP, a community health worker or a hospital doctor — our courses are designed to support you in delivering outstanding care, even in the most complex and emotionally charged situations.
