PGCertAdvanced Palliative and End of Life Care Management and Prescribing
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- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time
Why study an advanced palliative and end of life care management and prescribing PGCert at Solent University
Gain advanced skills, independent and supplementary prescribing rights and lead compassionate, personalised end-of-life care.
- £0minvested in our campus estate and facilities over the past five years
- Top0%for student satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
- The end-of-life care module is designed and delivered in partnership with Mountbatten Hospice Group leading specialists in palliative care.
- Benefit from guest lectures and talks by experienced palliative care professionals and industry experts.
- The Independent and Supplementary Prescribing qualification is accredited by the NMC, meaning you'll be entitled to update your registration status to Independent and Supplementary Prescriber upon completion of this PGCert.
- Learn in low-fidelity simulation scenarios applied to prescribing to provide a simplified, controlled environment for practicing and refining basic prescribing skills and decision-making.
- Students have access to our specialist nursing facilities, including a nursing simulation suite with a six-bed ward, GP consulting room, nurse's treatment room, care home bedroom, and a range of clinical equipment including simulation mannequins.
Course overview
This postgraduate programme is designed for registered nurses to enhance their expertise in providing compassionate, evidence-based care for patients approaching the end of life. In line with the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan's focus on developing specialist roles, this programme prepares professionals to deliver exceptional end-of-life care, ensuring dignity, comfort, and clinical excellence.
The course covers essential pharmacology to ensure safe prescribing practices, with a strong emphasis on merging theoretical knowledge with clinical application. You'll engage with various scenarios leading to prescriptions, encouraging reflective practice and the use of local and national guidelines to inform decisions.
The course includes two 30-credit modules: Palliative and End of Life Care, focusing on the delivery of holistic, patient-centred care, supporting physical, emotional, psychological, and social needs of service users and relatives at the end of life; and Independent and Supplementary Prescribing, offering the necessary knowledge and skills to prescribe safely and effectively, ensuring that care is managed and tailored real-time without delays or limitations.
The Palliative and End of Life Care module is delivered in partnership with Mountbatten Hospice Group who provide inpatient and community palliative and end of life care across the Isle of Wight, Southampton, and parts of Hampshire.
Experts from the multi-professional team deliver teaching based on best practice and their knowledge and experience. Teaching is interactive and based on case scenarios to support application of theory into practice.Â
Through this course, you'll be equipped with the competencies to address the complex needs of patients nearing the end of life, incorporating both clinical decision-making and compassionate care. The programme emphasises the need to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills in palliative care settings, to meet rising demand from the NHS and improve role retention through targeted education.Â
Our strong links with NHS trusts, hospices, and community providers offer real-world learning and placement opportunities. And the teaching team are active clinicians, ensuring course content is up to date with current best practices.
This course is vital for addressing the shortage of palliative care practitioners across the UK and will provide graduates with the essential skills, knowledge, and experience that are instrumental in meeting the increasing demand for personalised palliative care.
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Email:Â Call:ÂCourse features
Specialist facilities
This course has access to specialist facilities
Part-time option
You can study this course part-time
This course is for
This course is designed to provide registered nurses, with at least one year of post-registration experience, who are looking to develop specialist skills, with the knowledge and skills to deliver best practice palliative and end of life care in their area of practice.Â
What this course leads to
You'll develop skills needed to make safe clinical decisions when assessing service users with diverse health needs across all healthcare settings. Suitable roles for graduates include:
- Nurses with specialist skills to deliver best practice palliative and end of life care
Meet the team
Learn from qualified staff with a wealth of experience working in a range of clinical settings.
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
You’ll have access to a range of our specialist facilities, including a nursing simulation suite with a six bed ward, GP consulting room, nurse’s treatment room, waiting area/break out space, care home bedroom and working kitchen and bathroom. There is a wide range of clinical equipment including simulation manikins to facilitate various simulated scenarios.
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces.
Year one
Core modules
Palliative and End of Life Care
This module is designed to provide registered practitioners with the knowledge and skills to deliver best practice palliative and end of life care in their area of practice. Students will develop confidence and skills in communication, assessment, management and care approaches for supporting and working with patients and families requiring palliative and end of life care, as well as emotional intelligence and resilience. Practice will be underpinned by acquiring knowledge of the current frameworks and policies, existing theory and research that will be critically examined to enhance sound judgement and decision making when applying knowledge into practice.
Independent and Supplementary Prescribing
The course offers a rich blend of direct, collaborative, and guided learning, designed to immerse students in the multifaceted world of prescribing. Through this approach, participants develop the skills necessary for safe and effective prescribing, while critically engaging with scientific evidence from drug trials and deepening their understanding of pharmacology and prescribing sciences. The curriculum also encourages reflection on the ethical and psycho-social influences shaping prescribing practice, ensuring students integrate the essential competencies outlined in the Competency Framework for All Prescribers (RPS 2021). This holistic approach equips learners to make informed, evidence-based decisions in clinical settings while maintaining professional accountability and patient safety. Assessment is delivered across two complementary domains, theoretical and practice-based, providing a rigorous evaluation of both knowledge and clinical proficiency. Theoretical assessment comprises two examinations-pharmacology and numeracy-contributing 40% and 20% to the final award respectively. Practice-based learning requires students to engage with nominated practice assessors, supervisors, or educators who hold relevant prescribing qualifications and ideally possess at least three years of recent clinical experience. These professionals guide, supervise, and assess students throughout the course, fostering reflective practice, monitoring progress, and supporting clinical decision-making within ethical, legal, and evidence-based frameworks. Students undergo a tripartite, triangulated assessment with interviews at weeks 3, 7, and 15, alongside submission of a portfolio including the RPS Competency Framework sign-off, personal formulary, critical reflective assignment, sampled prescriptions, practice learning logs, and service user feedback. Successful completion of both theoretical and practice-based components-including exams, reflective assignments, and portfolio-confers the prescribing qualification and updates the registrant’s prescribing status, ensuring graduates are fully equipped to practise safely, competently, and confidently.
Learning resources
At Solent, our aim is to deliver innovative, inclusive and intellectually stimulating teaching to develop self-confident and highly employable graduates. All our courses are designed with employability in mind, which makes industry-based learning a priority.
Learn transferable skills
Through this course you'll develop critical thinking and ethical decision-making, enabling you to navigate complex psychosocial, spiritual, and clinical aspects of palliative and end-of-life care. You can gain in-depth understanding of pharmacology, prescribing principles, and relevant legislation to support safe, accountable practice.
Advance your clinical reasoning and holistic assessment skills to create personalised care plans, including complex prescribing and deprescribing decisions. Develop effective teamwork and communication skills to collaborate confidently within multidisciplinary teams, to demonstrate your professional accountability and adherence to governance.
Reflective practice and quality improvement skills, empower you to evaluate and enhance service delivery in your own clinical settings.
Why choose advanced palliative and end of life care management and prescribing?
This programme is vital for addressing the shortage of palliative care practitioners across the UK. Careers such as palliative care specialist nursing offer the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by providing compassionate, holistic support to patients and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. This course equips students with advanced clinical, communication, and decision-making skills that are highly valued by employers, ensuring graduates are prepared to meet the rising demand for skilled palliative care practitioners across a variety of healthcare settings.
Solent Careers
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While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
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Research doesn't just live in publications and journals - the effects of groundbreaking research can be found everywhere you look. That's why research at Solent has always been firmly rooted in industry needs and real-world application.
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Research at SolentTuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are:
- UK and Channel Island full-time fees: £3,225
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
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Solent alumni are eligible for a 20% reduction of tuition fees if returning to study a postgraduate course.
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Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £20. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
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Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
- You must be a Level 1 Registered Nurse with a minimum of one year’s post-registration experience [or the part-time equivalent] before starting the course, with no restrictions on your practice.
- You will need an enhanced DBS Disclosure with no declarations.
- You must have a named practice assessor and supervisor who both meet our quality assurance standards. They must be practitioners in palliative care and qualified as independent and supplementary prescribers.
Key entry requirements
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application and to take a look at our course entry statement document.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂYour application checklist
Applications for postgraduate courses can be made at any time prior to the start of the course. However, we strongly recommend you apply at your earliest convenience.
Please ensure you upload the following mandatory documents with your application:
- Two academic references.
- Certified transcripts of qualifications, including English language proficiency if non-UK student.
- Copy of passport.
- Copy of current visa (if applicable).
- A personal statement.
- Employer sponsor form, where appropriate.
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.5 overall with no component score below 5.5
- TOEFL IBT 92 with a minimum of 22 in writing and a minimum of 20 in reading, listening and speaking
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 100 in each component or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Study options
Make your application
- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time
