‘IMPROVE’ – Communities of Practice

NOTE: The session resources on this page are currently passworded. This is because they have been recently updated and are being evaluated in the 2026 NIHR funded IMPROVE evaluation. At the end of this period they will be made freely available. If you are not involved in one of the 10 IMPROVE site evaluations, but are interested in using these resources imminently, please feel free to watch the introductory films and get in touch: samantha.dorney-smith@ucl.ac.uk

Programme resources

Communities of Practice (CoP) are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.

Here you will find the videos, other resources and session plans that will enable you to run a structured 8 session Community of Practice programme focused on improving palliative and end of life care for people experiencing homelessness. This can support the development of a longer-term Community of Practice or can be delivered alone as a quality improvement initiative. Sessions are anticipated to last 1.5 – 2 hours and can be delivered online or face-to-face.

There are also additional optional session plans with resources to support an ongoing group with future structured sessions if desired.

A lot of thought has been put into the structure and content of the initial 8 sessions, and there has been a significant amount of practitioner and lived experience involvement in their design. However, it is understood that groups and facilitation styles will differ and not everyone will feel that every bit of content is relevant to their group. Alternatively you may think things are missing. We fully endorse the use of the resources in other ways but would very much welcome your feedback on how you use the resources.

Trigger warning: It is important to note that all the content in this programme deals with death and dying. We have tried to approach the design of all the films and resources in as sensitive a way as possible, but it is likely that some people may find the content difficult at some times. Please look after yourselves and your colleagues, and offer support and understanding and take time out whenever this is needed.

We would like to thank all the following people for their time, insights, patience and care in the making of the programme films:

Nuneaton: Dr Nik Sanyal, Dr Rachel Warren, Lisa Perrins, Catriona Jakeman, Dr Joanna Clerici, Kully Singh, Michelle Hammersley, Paul Roberts Rebecca Paredes, David Boucher Westminster: Dr Dana Beale, Kelly Walsh, Dennis Rogers Oxford: Lynn Erskine, Maria Hart, Nicole Satullo, Tina Hayday, Laura Roper, Dr Robin Schafer, Louise Daly Leeds: Nicky Hibbert, Liz Keat Dominic Maddocks, Lucy Staveley Liverpool: Dr Ryan Young, Lynne Jones, Charlotte Wake, Dominic Lewington, Brian Nolan, Richard Reed, Katie Taylor, Lola Sumption, Dennis Appiah Providence Row: Mary Kneafsey Museum of Homelessness: Gill Taylor Lived experience steering group: Kelly Hart, Sahar Kahn, Joanne Kennedy, Pete Bull, Gareth Davies Other Lived Experience contributors: Mandy Pattinson, Pathway Lived Experience Lead; Khos Miah, The People’s Recovery Project; Andrew Ashley, Oxford LEAF; Julian Daley, Pathway volunteer