Strengthening Collaboration to Advance Global Palliative Care
From Practice Lead Erin Das
I had the privilege of joining a truly collaborative global workshop in Dublin, Ireland, that brought together leaders and changemakers in palliative care from around the world. It wasn’t just a meeting of minds — it was an active co-creation space where we collectively explored how to move forward together. Hosted by Global Partners in Care, we were proud to be working alongside many partners in palliative care.
At the heart of the workshop was a simple but powerful goal: to harmonise our efforts and co-create tangible strategies that strengthen palliative care globally. We focused on four strategic priorities:
Building a united and amplified global voice
Implementing clear, actionable next steps
Fostering knowledge sharing and innovation
Supporting national-level engagement and implementation
We used a human-centred design approach to surface insights, listen deeply and frame the work not just around systems or policies, but around people — those who deliver care, and those who receive it.
As part of an organisation that values the power of storytelling, I joined the group focused on a united and amplified global voice. We utilised the Double Diamond framework, developed by the UK Design Council, to inform our approach. This approach encourages broad exploration before narrowing in on specific ideas: first expanding our understanding of the problem, then focusing, then opening up again for solution ideation and finally converging on a concrete, testable concept. You can learn more about this model here.
Through this structured, creative process, our group co-developed a prototype solution aimed at bringing together best practices in palliative care communications to help unify messaging, elevate voices and support coordinated advocacy across regions. It was a small but intentional step toward a shared future.
What this experience reinforced for me is that collaboration is not optional — it is essential for meaningful progress in palliative care. Whether at global, national or community levels, we must continue to invest in the spaces, processes and relationships that enable collective thinking and shared action with aligned outcomes.
As the palliative care field faces urgent needs, building stronger bridges across geographies, disciplines and sectors will be key to amplify our shared impact.
