Professor Katherine Sleeman BSc, MBBS, MRCP, PhD
Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care, Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine
- Impact Lead, Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation
Research interests
- Palliative care
Biography
I am the Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care, based at the Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College London. I am joint Academic Impact Lead for the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, and Chair of the Palliative Care Clinical Academic Group Reach and Impact Group. I lead the Integrated Academic Trainee (IAT) programme for palliative medicine. I am an Honorary Consultant at King’s College Hospital NHS Trust.
My NIHR Clinician Scientist Fellowship (2016-2021) aims to understand and improve patterns of care before death for people with dementia, using linked clinical and administrative data resources. I have led projects using the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS), Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), and Whole Systems Integrated Care (WSIC) databases. My research focuses on the intersection between palliative care and policy. Prior to my NIHR Clinician Scientist Fellowship, I was a Cicely Saunders International Scholar (2015-2016) and an NIHR Clinical Lecturer (2010-2015), both based at King’s.
In 2019 I received the inaugural Women in Palliative Care award from the European Association of Palliative Care for my work exploring gender bias in academia. In 2020 I received a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust travel fellowship to explore public and policy engagement in palliative care.
I graduated from University College London Medical School (1999) with a BSc in Developmental Biology (top 1st - 1996) and distinctions in Clinical Pharmacology and Pathology. I trained in General Medicine and Oncology at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals and the Royal Marsden Hospital. I completed my PhD in 2007 (Title - Stem Cell Activity and Estrogen Receptor Expression in the Mouse Mammary Gland; the Institute of Cancer Research, London).
Research interests:
- Palliative and end of life care for people with dementia
- Use of routinely collected data to understand patterns of care towards the end of life
- Inequalities in palliative and end-of-life care
- The use of evidence in policy
Research profile
Research
Centre for Global Health Palliative Care
Centre for Global Health Palliative Care
Better End of Life Project
Understanding experiences of dying, death, and bereavement in the UK, and compelling local and national policy-makers to act to improve people’s experiences.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding the Social Determinants of Outcomes Important to Older People Towards the End of Life
Secondary analysis of observational data on exposures, mediators, patterns of care and symptom profiles.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding Factors that Influence End-of-Life Decisions in Older Adults with Dementia
Investigating the systems-level factors that contribute to burdensome end-of-life care in older adults with dementia.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding Factors that Influence Why People with Dementia Make Transitions from the Community to Acute Hospital Care Settings in the Last Months of Life
Utilising routine data to understand why people with dementia move between healthcare settings in the months preceding their death.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding Why People With Dementia Attend the Emergency Department Towards the End of Life
A mixed-methods study examining the determinants of emergency department attendance by people with dementia towards the end of life.
Project status: Completed
Understanding the Impact of Community Health & Social Care Services on Hospitalisation in the Last Months of Life
Examining primary and community health care and hospital admissions among people with cancer in their last 90 days of life.
Project status: Ongoing
CovPall Care Homes: Rapid Evaluation of the Care Home Response to the Need for Palliative & End of Life Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This CovPall Care Homes Project looks at integration, communication and workforce resilience in Care Homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project status: Completed
CovPall: Rapid Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Palliative & End of Life Care
The CovPall Project aims to understand more about how palliative care services and hospices are responding to COVID-19.
Project status: Ongoing
Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Palliative & End of Life Care: Connecting to Boost Impact & Data Assets
The CovPall-Connect project provides an opportunity for national data linkage on the palliative care response to COVID-19.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Half of UK adults worried about painful death
Almost half (47%) of UK adults are worried that they or their loved ones will have a painful or undignified death, according to a survey commissioned by...
Dementia Journeys arrives at London Bridge Station
Empowering Better End of-Life Dementia Care (EMBED-Care) research programme takes Dementia Journeys to London Bridge Station.
Professor Katherine Sleeman participates in Policy Institute's event on assisted dying
On 16 October, the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group at King's hosted a panel discussion on assisted dying.
Research study reveals patchy and inconsistent end of life care
Findings show that one in five dying people had no contact with their GP in the last three months of life, half of respondents (49%) in the study were unhappy...
King's colleagues attend Parliamentary reception to discuss new Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The reception, hosted by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, was focused on improving palliative and end-of-life care and reducing inequalities.
65% of adults are worried about access to palliative care
A survey commissioned by King’s College London, and carried out by YouGov, has found that 65% of people across the UK are worried about access to palliative...
King's hosts inaugural meeting for new NIHR Policy Research Unit
Members from five universities met at the Cicely Saunders Institute in January to celebrate the start of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End...
£25m NIHR funding to tackle health and social care issues
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) today awarded King’s £25m to tackle important long-standing and emerging health and social care...
People in richer areas saw biggest increase in deaths at home during the pandemic
The gap between where the rich and poor die widened during the pandemic, new research has found.
Four ways to improve end-of-life care for people with dementia
Efforts to improve the quality of end-of-life care for people with dementia are urgently needed.
Events
Assisted dying: principles, practice and politics
Join the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group for a discussion about assisted dying.
Please note: this event has passed.
NMPC Inaugural Lecture: Professor Katherine Sleeman & Professor Catherine Evans
NMPC Inaugural Lecture: Professor Katherine Sleeman & Professor Catherine Evans
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
5 minutes with Katherine Sleeman
Meet Professor Katherine Sleeman, the Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care at the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation.
Spotlight
Shaping Policy at Life's End: Professor Katherine Sleeman and the Better End of Life Project
For people living at home with advanced illness, health can worsen rapidly and unpredictably. This makes it essential that they and the loved ones who care...
Getting palliative care to those who need it
The research helping introduce high quality, cost-effective palliative care into the health systems where people need it.
- Module co-lead for MSc in palliative care - Service Development and Policy
- MSc Teaching - Symptom epidemiology (Biology and Management of Symptoms in Advanced Disease); Palliative care and policy (Service Development and Policy); The value of research in palliative care (Service Development and Policy); Cohort studies (MRES Clinical Research)
- MSc supervision
- PhD supervision
- MBBS - Seminars, workshops and ward-based teaching on palliative care; Scholarly Project supervisor; OSCE examiner; personal tutor
Research
Centre for Global Health Palliative Care
Centre for Global Health Palliative Care
Better End of Life Project
Understanding experiences of dying, death, and bereavement in the UK, and compelling local and national policy-makers to act to improve people’s experiences.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding the Social Determinants of Outcomes Important to Older People Towards the End of Life
Secondary analysis of observational data on exposures, mediators, patterns of care and symptom profiles.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding Factors that Influence End-of-Life Decisions in Older Adults with Dementia
Investigating the systems-level factors that contribute to burdensome end-of-life care in older adults with dementia.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding Factors that Influence Why People with Dementia Make Transitions from the Community to Acute Hospital Care Settings in the Last Months of Life
Utilising routine data to understand why people with dementia move between healthcare settings in the months preceding their death.
Project status: Ongoing
Understanding Why People With Dementia Attend the Emergency Department Towards the End of Life
A mixed-methods study examining the determinants of emergency department attendance by people with dementia towards the end of life.
Project status: Completed
Understanding the Impact of Community Health & Social Care Services on Hospitalisation in the Last Months of Life
Examining primary and community health care and hospital admissions among people with cancer in their last 90 days of life.
Project status: Ongoing
CovPall Care Homes: Rapid Evaluation of the Care Home Response to the Need for Palliative & End of Life Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This CovPall Care Homes Project looks at integration, communication and workforce resilience in Care Homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project status: Completed
CovPall: Rapid Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Palliative & End of Life Care
The CovPall Project aims to understand more about how palliative care services and hospices are responding to COVID-19.
Project status: Ongoing
Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Palliative & End of Life Care: Connecting to Boost Impact & Data Assets
The CovPall-Connect project provides an opportunity for national data linkage on the palliative care response to COVID-19.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Half of UK adults worried about painful death
Almost half (47%) of UK adults are worried that they or their loved ones will have a painful or undignified death, according to a survey commissioned by...
Dementia Journeys arrives at London Bridge Station
Empowering Better End of-Life Dementia Care (EMBED-Care) research programme takes Dementia Journeys to London Bridge Station.
Professor Katherine Sleeman participates in Policy Institute's event on assisted dying
On 16 October, the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group at King's hosted a panel discussion on assisted dying.
Research study reveals patchy and inconsistent end of life care
Findings show that one in five dying people had no contact with their GP in the last three months of life, half of respondents (49%) in the study were unhappy...
King's colleagues attend Parliamentary reception to discuss new Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The reception, hosted by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, was focused on improving palliative and end-of-life care and reducing inequalities.
65% of adults are worried about access to palliative care
A survey commissioned by King’s College London, and carried out by YouGov, has found that 65% of people across the UK are worried about access to palliative...
King's hosts inaugural meeting for new NIHR Policy Research Unit
Members from five universities met at the Cicely Saunders Institute in January to celebrate the start of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End...
£25m NIHR funding to tackle health and social care issues
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) today awarded King’s £25m to tackle important long-standing and emerging health and social care...
People in richer areas saw biggest increase in deaths at home during the pandemic
The gap between where the rich and poor die widened during the pandemic, new research has found.
Four ways to improve end-of-life care for people with dementia
Efforts to improve the quality of end-of-life care for people with dementia are urgently needed.
Events
Assisted dying: principles, practice and politics
Join the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group for a discussion about assisted dying.
Please note: this event has passed.
NMPC Inaugural Lecture: Professor Katherine Sleeman & Professor Catherine Evans
NMPC Inaugural Lecture: Professor Katherine Sleeman & Professor Catherine Evans
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
5 minutes with Katherine Sleeman
Meet Professor Katherine Sleeman, the Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care at the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation.
Spotlight
Shaping Policy at Life's End: Professor Katherine Sleeman and the Better End of Life Project
For people living at home with advanced illness, health can worsen rapidly and unpredictably. This makes it essential that they and the loved ones who care...
Getting palliative care to those who need it
The research helping introduce high quality, cost-effective palliative care into the health systems where people need it.
- Module co-lead for MSc in palliative care - Service Development and Policy
- MSc Teaching - Symptom epidemiology (Biology and Management of Symptoms in Advanced Disease); Palliative care and policy (Service Development and Policy); The value of research in palliative care (Service Development and Policy); Cohort studies (MRES Clinical Research)
- MSc supervision
- PhD supervision
- MBBS - Seminars, workshops and ward-based teaching on palliative care; Scholarly Project supervisor; OSCE examiner; personal tutor