Introducing Rod MacLeod

The Man behind Hospice Palliative Care ...

Professor Rod MacLeod is Manager of the Palliative Care Development team for Hospice North Shore - a role that involves pulling together the training, education and quality improvement roles of those working with palliative care patients and research in aspects of end of life care. He has a real passion for palliative care and ensuring that those living with a terminal illness receive the best care possible.

Palliative care is specialist care for people with a life-limiting illness. It is aimed at optimising a person's quality of life until death, by addressing his or her physical, psychosocial, spiritual and cultural needs. It is also designed to support the patients's family, whanau, and other caregivers where needed, both during the illness and after death.

Rod originally trained and worked as a GP in England. In 1988 he decided on a career change and created his own training programme for palliative care - working in six hospices in the South of England. He moved with his wife and three girls to NZ in 1993 to work as Medical Director at Mary Potter Hospice. Since then he has completed a Diploma and a Masters degree in Medical Education and in 2002 was awarded his PhD for his work entitled "Changing the way that doctors learn to care for people who are dying". In 2003 he became New Zealand's first Professor in Palliative Care. He has continued his academic interests, which now include working part time at the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, as well as at North Shore Hospice.

Rod has always been interested in the nature of care. Some of Rod's research interests are: How do we know when we are being cared for? What do patients look for in someone who is caring? What can we teach about caring to young doctors and nurses?

"I am passionate about trying to ensure that new doctors and nurses are equipped to care effectively for all people, but especially those nearing the end of their lives. Palliative care grew out of a recognition that care for people near the end of life could be improved - it still can". He knows that Hospice is one way in which we can ensure that people who are approaching the end of their lives, and their families, can have their special needs met in partnership with those who care in the community or in hospital.

"To me Hospice means helping people to live every moment – to make each day the best possible. We at Hospice do this by attention to detail, managing symptoms to the best of our ability and helping them realise hopes and dispel their fears."

As Manager of the Palliative Care Development team Rod's role, along with his experienced team, is to help advance the specialty of palliative care on the North Shore. "If we are to provide specialist care we need to have a clinical team who is trained to a high level; we take professional development very seriously here." They are achieving this by looking at what others are doing in this field all over the world and incorporating the best into Hospice practices.

The Education Team trains others in the community who are caring for the dying. They also monitor the quality of care provided at Hospice and undertake research into special aspects of this care. Rod is looking forward to seeing the results of Hospice's own research into the particular needs of our own community.

Currently there are eight PhD students under Rod's supervision, some of whom will be working at Hospice North Shore.

Rod is conscious of future issues facing Hospice. "With the aging of the baby-boomers we need to be prepared for an increase in that aging population. That is part of what we are doing in our team and we hope to do more."