Palliative Care Conversations
City, University of London
Hospice care supports people diagnosed with life-limiting conditions — not just at the very end of life, but from the moment of diagnosis. Its goal is to help individuals live as fully and comfortably as possible, from day one.
Researchers at City, University of London’s School of Health and Psychological Sciences together with leaders at Hospiscare — a hospice based in Devon — have been exploring how doctors can more effectively initiate and encourage early palliative care conversations with patients. They approached us to help transform their findings into an engaging animation designed to support the training of healthcare professionals.
The animation is designed to communicate the importance and benefits of initiating palliative care conversations early in a patient’s illness. It emphasises that these discussions are not solely the responsibility of specialists — all healthcare professionals have a duty to engage in them, even when they are emotionally challenging. Following this, the animation provides practical guidance on how to begin these conversations and outlines the key components that contribute to meaningful and effective communication. Dr Victoria Land together with Professor Rose McCabe and Ann Rhys used conversational analysis to identify those conversations that were successful, and those that didn’t end as planned.
Because these discussions typically take place in consultation rooms — whether in GP surgeries or hospital settings — we faced the creative challenge of visually representing a range of scenarios while maintaining a sense of calm and sensitivity. We chose to include scenes in outdoor spaces and homely environments to ensure the animation felt supportive, reassuring, and appropriate for such a delicate subject matter.
A realistic illustration style was chosen to ground the animation in authenticity and make the scenarios relatable for healthcare professionals. To complement this, a soft and muted colour palette was used to reflect the sensitive nature of the subject matter, helping to create a calm, reassuring atmosphere that supports the emotional weight of the conversations being depicted.
