The All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care Annual Review 2021 has been published.

2021 was again a very active year for AIIHPC. In the first half, we were still responding to the impact of the Covid pandemic. We continued to support our partners, and other colleagues in health and social care, in the delivery of good care, particularly through a series of webinars and the use of The Palliative Hub – Professional as a key information resource.

The involvement of 43 people with a range of experiences and interest in improving palliative care continued through Voices4Care, with meetings continuing to take place on ‘Zoom’ for 2021.

We were very pleased that the Institute was commissioned by the Department of Health (ROI) to analyse findings and write the Report of the Public Consultation which will inform the new Palliative Care Policy for Adults. We will continue to support the Department as this work progresses in 2022.

AIIHPC continued to support palliative care research with highlights including the online Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN) annual symposium in December, ‘Equality and Equity in Palliative Care.’

A very successful eighth Palliative Care Week was facilitated in September, with the theme, ‘Palliative Care: It’s more than you think.’

The appointment of a Communications Manager in May 2021 has been very effective in raising awareness of AIIHPC, through a renewed focus on consistent, tailored messaging and increased activity across AIIHPC communications channels.

These are just some of the highlights of what was another busy year for AIIHPC’s small, dedicated team and I am grateful for their hard work. AIIHPC’s work is only possible because of the involvement and support from our 27 partners, along with that of key funders, the HSE, Public Health Agency, the Departments of Health across the island, the Health Research Board and Health and Social Care R&D Division, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and The Irish Hospice Foundation. Their support is gratefully acknowledged.

We hope you will find our Annual Review of interest and we thank you for your support and the very important contribution so many of you make to our work each year.