A team of researchers from Lancaster University have visited Ghana as part of ambitious plans to develop palliative care in Africa.

The trip by experts from the International Observatory on End of Life Care, the Division of Health Research, and Lancaster Environment Centre was led and coordinated by Dr Yakubu Salifu, a Palliative Care lecturer at the Division of Health Research and the Chief Executive of the charity COMPASS-Ghana.

Their primary objective was to engage with various stakeholders involved in delivering palliative care services in Ghana, with the help of COMPASS Ghana. Additionally, the visit explored the potential for new research projects and the sharing of best practices in the field of palliative care.

Among the team was the Associate Dean for Research and Co-Director of the International Observatory on End of Life Care (IOELC), Professor Nancy Preston, who said:

“We took a very hands-on approach including a workshop to develop research proposals. This has immediately led to a potential grant application. I think working alongside people helped to develop trust and expectations that future joint research was a real possibility.”

The team met several organisations and individuals involved in providing palliative care services in Ghana.

Dr Yakubu Salifu, Palliative Care lecturer and the Chief Executive of the charity COMPASS-Ghana, and John Davies, Chief Operating Officer of COMPASS Ghana had several meetings with corporate Ghana as well as COMPASS Ghana ambassadors in Ghana.

They met Dr Edwina Addo Opare-Lokko, a Senior Specialist Family and Palliative Physician at Greater Accra Regional Hospital, to discuss a national palliative care policy and how health professionals can be trained in palliative care.

Dr Salifu said: "We witnessed the immense dedication of healthcare professionals in Ghana, who are working tirelessly to provide compassionate palliative care despite resource limitations. There is a clear need for research capacity-building, collaborative research, and partnership in the provision of context-specific palliative care service; and that was exactly the aim of the visit."

The team also engaged with the British High Commission to explore how the Commission could contribute to funding the development of a palliative care policy in Ghana.

Outcomes from the trip included:

· partnerships with corporate Ghana and the UK government through the British High Commission in Ghana

· engaging with three communities so that 300,000 people are now on the radar for end-of-life care

· delivering workshops to over 210 participants from 12 institutions across Ghana

· donating about 65 donated books on palliative care to several institutions in Ghana including the University of Ghana, Lancaster University Ghana, the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Garden City University College, and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Palliative Care Unit

· more Lancaster PhD applications and plans to sign a memorandum of understanding for visiting researchers at the University of Ghana.

Professor Preston and Dr Salifu also participated in a palliative care documentary to be premiered later in the year, which aims to create awareness about palliative care in Ghana and dispel myths around end-of-life care. The documentary is being compiled by Portia Solomon Gabor, COMPASS Ghana ambassador, and the 2021 Best Journalist of the year.

Following the visit, the team aims to apply for an applied global health research grant worth up to £2M which is co-funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Medical Research Council (MRC).