END OF LIFE
Sharing decisions in the context of suffering and dying
Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking dialogue that delves into the complexities of shared decision-making in the context of suffering and end-of-life care.
This discussion will place a strong emphasis on the concept of personhood and the relational dynamics that exist between patients, their families, and healthcare professionals.
The panel will explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in navigating these relationships, considering both the clinical and ethical perspectives.
With a focus on addressing the profound questions that arise from the desire to compassionately accompany patients in their suffering, this discussion aims to provide valuable insights into the collaborative processes that support dignity, understanding, and care at the end of life.
SPEAKERS
Prof Paquita de Zulueta
Paquita has worked as a London GP for 35 years (retired 2021) specialising in mental health, migrant health, clinical ethics, professional education and development.
She is also a Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at Imperial College. Paquita has been working as a part time CBT, compassion focused, mindfulness-based therapist since 2008, and she is also a qualified coach and mentor.
For 10 years she was a member of Imperial College NHS Trust’s clinical ethics committee and for 6 years of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. She is a Schwartz Round facilitator since 2015 for Imperial College NHS Trust and medical school. She is also a trustee of the Institute of Medical Ethics and a member of the Royal College of GPs ethics committee.
Paquita has also set up a charity called Human Values in Healthcare Forum (HVHF) which aims to rehumanise healthcare through the core values of compassion, integrity, inclusiveness, justice and wisdom.
Dr Caesar Atuire
Caesar Atuire is a philosopher and health ethicist from Ghana who is currently the Ethics Lead for the MSc in International Health and Tropic Medicine at the University of Oxford. He is also an Associate Professor of Applied Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy and Classics at the University of Ghana and an affiliate Instructor at the University of Washington’s Department of Bioethics and Humanities. Caesar is also the President of the International Association of Bioethics (2024-2026). Caesar is a member of the WHO’s Covid-19 Ethics and Governance Working Group, a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Forum for Bioethics in Research and a core member of the Africa CDC-linked Working Group on an African framework for research ethics during outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Outside academic life, Caesar leads an NGO, Amicus Onlus, that operates in healthcare, basic education, vocational skills training, and re-integration of returned illegal migrants to Europe in Ghana. His recent publications include “What Is a Person?: Untapped Insights from Africa” (2025) co-authored with Nancy Jecker.
Jillian Hayes
Jillian Hayes is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative care working for St Joseph’s Hospice. St Joseph’s Hospice was founded in 1905 by the Sisters of Charity and provides specialist palliative care and support to people in the East End and City who have a life-limiting illness. Jillian’s prior experiences of volunteering in a hospice in Swaziland as well as working in the care home setting, the acute sector, homeless health and general practice have moved her increasingly in search of working more holistically with patients and significant others through their health journey. In the last 7 years she has become increasingly interested in the specialist field of palliative and end of life care, stemming from both personal and professional experiences.
