Seven organisations from five European countries have joined forces to tackle one of healthcare’s fastest growing challenges: ensuring that more people can receive high quality palliative care in their own homes. The newly launched DIGNITY (Enhancing Domiciliary Palliative Care through European Vocational Education and Training Excellence) project will develop the first transnational vocational training programme designed specifically for professionals delivering end of life care at home.
Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Forward-Looking Projects programme, the 30-month initiative aims to strengthen workforce skills, improve care quality, and help address shortages affecting palliative care services across Europe.
Bridging the Gap in Home Palliative Care
Population ageing, longer life expectancy and the increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses are placing growing pressure on health and social care systems. While many people express a preference to spend their final months at home, access to trained professionals capable of providing specialised domiciliary palliative care remains uneven across Europe.
The DIGNITY project responds to an urgent need to better prepare the professionals who support patients and families during one of the most sensitive stages of life. By creating a common European training framework, the project seeks to improve both the quality of care and the resilience of the workforce.
The project will create a new vocational qualification entitled “Palliative Care and DIGNITY at the End of Life at Home”, aligned with European qualification standards to facilitate recognition of skills across participating countries.
Innovative Solutions and Expected Impact
Over the next two and a half years, the DIGNITY consortium will:
- Analyse workforce needs and skills gaps in participating countries 2. Develop a modern training curriculum combining clinical, digital and psychosocial competencies
- Pilot the programme with educators, students and healthcare professionals 4. support the long-term integration of the qualification into vocational education and training systems.
The initiative is expected to benefit vocational education providers, healthcare professionals, home care organisations, students, policymakers and, ultimately, patients and families requiring end of life care at home.
The consortium is coordinated by Instituto Politécnico de Beja (Portugal) and brings together seven organisations with expertise in higher education, vocational training, healthcare and innovation
- MSLETB – Mayo College of Further Education and Training – Ireland
- Hoger Instituut voor Verpleegkunde Sint Elisabeth (HIVSET) – Belgium
- Siauliu technologiju mokymo centras (STMC) – Lithuania
- Associação Portuguesa de Cuidados Paliativos (APCP) – Portugal
- INOVA+ – Innovation Services, SA – Portugal
- CARDET – Cyprus
For more info: https://dignityproject.eu/ or follow our updates on LinkedIn and Instagram using #DIGNITYproject.
Website
https://dignityproject.eu/Target Groups
Adults, Trainers, VET professionals, Adult educators, Public bodiesEducation Level
VET, Adult education, Professional education
