Learn more about Oxford Centre for Education and Research in Palliative Care
End of life care education and research delivered locally, nationally and internationally.
OxCERPC is involved in education locally, nationally and internationally.
At OxCERPC we offer an annual programme of study days, courses and conferences to enhance the knowledge and skills of health and social care staff to enable care of high quality to be delivered to patients and families in the last years of life. OxCERPC, together with Sobell House Hospice and the dedicated patient-focussed charity (Sobell House Hospice Charity), aims to improve care delivered by all staff.
The team here pay close attention to feedback, taking account of national best practice and international trends to identify educational needs. We develop a range of new courses each year as well as developing and improving our bestsellers.
The programme is delivered by specialist staff working at Sobell House and by an invited faculty of external teachers to ensure that we deliver up-to-date knowledge and reflect best practice.
We provide a first class learning experience and place a high value on the quality and integrity of our teaching. When planning our courses, we think carefully about how people learn, and our teachers are well-respected practitioners in their fields.
We are always delighted to speak with you and hear your ideas.
Bespoke Education and Opportunities
Locally we contribute to a range of educational opportunities for Oxfordshire based health and social care practitioners working in end-of-life care through the Oxfordshire Palliative Care Education Group (OPEG), including placements at Sobell House and other local hospices.
We sometimes respond to requests to provide bespoke education, or to deliver our current courses, either here in Oxford or at a different venue. Please contact us to discuss options for tailormade training.
Our e-learning suite is also available for self-directed or group e-learning. Our Facility also includes a lecture theatre, café area and three seminar rooms, complete with audio-visual equipment and wifi.
Our Courses
Our programme underpins the common core competencies and principles for health and social care practitioners working with adults at the end of life.
Courses range from short half-day sessions to two and three day courses and attract a variety of participants – from volunteers to experienced health and social care practitioners, locally, nationally and internationally.
We work closely with regional organisations such as Health Education England Thames Valley or commissioning groups who ask us to develop and deliver courses as sole providers or in collaboration with other organisations.
Meet the team
Dr Mary Miller
Director OxCERPC Dr Mary Miller
MB, BCh, BAO, MRCP(Ire), MSc, Dip learning and teaching, FRCP
Consultant in Palliative Medicine (1997 – present)
Lead for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) End-of-life care (EOLC) project ‘Improving care of the Dying’
GMC 4114967
Mary qualified from University College Cork, Ireland in 1988. She trained and worked in palliative medicine in Ireland, Sweden and the UK before starting as a consultant in palliative medicine in Oxford in 1998.
Mary has a strong interest in education; she completed a Diploma in Learning and Teaching at Oxford University in 2005, was Training Programme Director and Regional Specialty Advisor (2002 – 2008) and led the Oxford Advanced Courses in Pain and Symptom Management from 2005. Since the inception of OxCERPC in 2017, Mary and the team are focusing on building an exciting portfolio of courses, building research readiness and reaching out to practitioners across the globe.
Kate Butcher
Education Lead Kate Butcher
MSc, BA(Hons), RN, DN, PG Cert
Kate qualified as a registered nurse in Sheffield and started work with the OxCERPC team in 2014 following many years of working in the community as a District Nurse Team Leader and Practice Development Facilitator for End of Life Care. Alongside her current education role, she also works as a clinical nurse specialist within the hospice.
In 2016, Southampton University awarded her an MSc in Clinical Leadership in Cancer, Palliative and End of Life Care. Her research was focussed upon the educational needs of a local telephone support service based within the social care setting. Kate has also recently completed the Training for Teachers in Palliative Care course from Liverpool University (Palliative Care Institute).
Kate’s aim is to develop educational activities which meet both current needs of practitioners and national educational guidance for palliative/end-of-life care education. She has a particular interest in developing a portfolio of communication skills workshops at various levels, and working with nursing assistants and domiciliary carers to develop their care-giving skills and understanding of the topics. She also has an interest in the delivery of spiritual care: she has undertaken a postgraduate certificate in pyscho-spiritual care and is now part of the teaching faculty, spoken at conferences and collaborated on international written work.
Karen Allen
Finance & Course Administrator Karen Allen
Karen is Finance and Course Administrator to OxCERPC and supports activities related to medical education providing administrative support to the Year 5 medical students based at the Oxford Medical School, John Radcliffe Hospital. As a member of the OxCERPC administration team, she also shares in other OxCERPC related duties. In addition, she provides administrative support to national and international visitors to Sobell House.
Tamanna Miah
Senior Course Administrator Tamanna Miah
Tamanna joined the OxCERPC team in April 2025 but has been part of Sobell House since 2016, beginning her journey as an apprentice. She later worked with the Community Palliative Care Team and Lymphoedema Service until 2022. Now, Tamanna supports OxCERPC by managing the website and social media and provides administrative support to both national and international visitors.
Michael McCulloch
Web Content Manager & IT Systems Support Specialist Michael McCulloch
Michael started working with us in 2013. He is responsible for the management of the website and IT support. Michael also undertakes a similar role with Sobell House Hospice.
Trustees
Kay Symons (Chair)
Chantel Carpenter
Dr Tim Harrison
Anne Laurence
Sharon Yates
The OxCERPC team has the following aims:
To provide our customers with a high standard of care throughout their journey with OxCERPC.
To ensure our courses are excellent value for money, whilst managing our costs effectively, and seeking funding to support those unable to afford the cost of education in palliative care.
To provide a wide range of excellent quality, relevant, evidence-based and appealing courses and publications, appropriate in price, length and format to a wide range of audiences, to enable health. Professionals to grow in knowledge and skills in order to provide patient and family care to the highest possible standard.
To always work with a sustainable, inclusive, fair approach, embracing equality and diversity in all its activities and relationships with customers, partners and staff.
To establish research and publishing programmes, with and for staff in Sobell House and beyond, including developing critical thinking, research readiness and undertaking projects intended for publication.
To respect the skills within the team and strive to enhance them at every opportunity.
Our History
36 years of Education at Sobell House
The Oxford Centre for Education and Research in Palliative Care (OxCERPC) has been through many changes since it first opened in 1988, but what hasn’t changed is the principle of delivering high quality education to staff to enable the delivery of high quality care.
Founded by Dr Robert Twycross, OxCERPC now delivers educational events to audiences locally, nationally and internationally, and is one of the leading education centres of palliative and end-of-life education. We know that excellent end-of-life care cannot be delivered unless all staff, in whatever setting, are trained well, and so we provide courses suitable for health and social care practitioners from all professions and levels, as well as being involved in the education of local medical students.
We strive to offer educationally sound, evidence based sessions which respond to current needs of practitioners. Experiential and reflective sessions help colleagues to deepen and strengthe learning experiences to take back to practice knowledge that is effective and applicable.
We offer a range of sessions, delivered online, recorded or face to face so that they can be accessed at a time to suit the learner. We have a team of facilitators who are experts in their field of practice to ensure best content. Feedback is consistently high and we learn and develop from any feedback that we receive.
The team at OxCERPC may be small but we have big dreams and ambitions, and would love or you to join us on some of our sessions!
