Why does spirituality matter in person-centred care?

The EPICC Network (Enhancing Nurses' and Midwives' Competence in Providing Spiritual Care through Innovation Education and Compassionate Care) Conference is scheduled to take place on 7th-9th May 2025 at the University of Worcester, UK.

 

EPICC Network logo

The chosen theme is "why does spirituality matter in person-centred care? Evolving expertise through research and discussion". The aim of this conference is to support the delivery of holistic person-centred care, using a multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach to enhance the person's experience.

Join us for what promises to be a conference full of new insights and stimulating discussions.

Please see the conference flyer for more information.

Check if you need a UK visa on the GOV.UK website.

 

Book now

Book and pay for your place online

Pre Conference – 7 May 2025

  • Standard Rate (Early bird): £75.00
  • Student Rate (Early bird): £37.50
  • Standard Rate: £90.00
  • Student Rate: £60.00
  • Speakers: £63.75

2 day conference – 8 & 9 May 2025

  • Standard Rate (Early bird): £187.50
  • Student Rate (Early bird): £75.00
  • Standard Rate: £225.00
  • Student Rate: £120.00
  • Speakers: £135

Evening Meal – 8 May 2025: £15

The early bird rate will end at 4pm on 31 January 2025.

Booking link to follow.


Target audience

7th May 2025

For individuals with a research background/ interest, there is a Pre-conference workshop for researchers.

8-9th May 2025

The main conference is open to all student/ non-student healthcare providers at both undergraduate and post graduate levels interested in focusing upon Why does spirituality matter in person-centred care?

Keynote Speakers

Anne Taylor Parish 

Anne Taylor BSc (Nursing) Hons RGN, DipHE DN Cert, MSc Adv HCP (Open), Queen’s Nurse
Director of Nursing, Parish Nursing Ministries UK
X: @AFTaylorDN

A graduate of Edinburgh University, Anne initially worked in acute general medicine and then oncology before ‘escaping’ hospital nursing to become a community nurse. Anne completed her District Nurse Specialist Practitioner Qualification and worked as a District Nurse in diverse East Oxford in the 1990s. She provided a nursing view to city-wide healthcare provision as a member of the new Primary Care Group Board and subsequently as a Primary Care Trust Board & Executive Committee Member alongside her District Nursing. After maternity leave, Anne worked flexibly around family commitments as a sessional District Nurse and in an Out Of Hours palliative care role. Anne became a Queen’s Nurse and completed the MSc in Advancing Healthcare Practice at the Open University in 2016 and worked as a Practice Tutor and latterly as an Academic Assessor at the University from 2017 until 2022, alongside sessional District Nursing. On 30th March 2020 she joined Parish Nursing Ministries UK Home | Parish Nursing Ministries UK as Director of Nursing.


Professor Melanie Rogers PhD
Department of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Huddersfield

Professor Melanie Rogers is an internationally renowned Advanced Practice Nurse clinician, educator and researcher. She is the Professor of Advanced Practice and Spirituality at the University of Huddersfield, in England, as well as a National Teaching Fellow. She still works clinically as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care and is committed to improving person centred care. Melanie is an executive member of the International Network for the Study of Spirituality and runs their Student Scholars Network. Her international work and collaborations on spirituality are extensive and well developed. Melanie is a Queens Nurse and Global Nurse Consultant.

Melanie is passionate about nursing and how we can provide the care needed at the point of need for our patients. Her work and research has focused on how to provide truly holistic care to patients and her doctoral studies have led to a spirituality framework for Nurse Practitioners to help patients find hope, meaning and purpose during times of illness and challenge.

She has multiple publications related to advanced practice and spirituality and has published three edited books; Spiritually Competent Practice, Spiritual Dimensions of Advanced Practice Nursing and Advanced Practice Nursing to Enhance Global Health. Her recent research projects have included global studies on Job Satisfaction for Nurse Practitioners in Developed and Developing Countries, Diagnostic Reasoning skills of APNs and Emotional and Spiritual Wellbeing and Resilience of APNs during Covid-19 globally. Melanie chaired the working party that developed the 2020 ICN APN Guidelines.

Dr. Tove Giske, Professor in Nursing
Institute of Nursing, VID Specialized University, Bergen, Norway

Dr. Tove Giske is a professor in nursing at the Institute of Nursing at VID Specialized University, Bergen, Norway. She is a registered nurse with her master and PhD in Nursing from the University of Bergen. Dr. Giske enjoys teaching and doing research and she collaborates with nurse educators and researchers in many countries such as Ghana, Sierra Leone, the Netherlands, the UK, and California. Her passion is education and research in spiritual care, and she has published extensively internationally and presented her work in many countries. She has published books in the areas of grounded theory and spiritual care. The last book is Cone & Giske (2022) The Nurse’s Handbook of Spiritual Care. Wiley Blackwell. Dr. Giske is a part of the EPICC network. She leads a research group at VID named SPIRCARE and an excellent research network named Spiritual Care Education and Practice Development (SEP) where she collaborates with international researchers.

René van Leeuwen

René van Leeuwen is a Dutch retired professor in nursing. He started his career in health care as a mental health nurse and for many years he was a teacher in higher nursing education. He received his doctorate in nursing by developing the Spiritual Care Competence Scale. René was director of the research department ‘Spirituality in Healthcare’ at Viaa University in Zwolle Netherlands. He published (inter)nationally about spiritual care in nursing. He is a member of EPICC and a former chair of this network.

The Revd Dr. David Southall, Chaplaincy Team Leader and Equalities Engagement Lead
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

I've reached 60 and my life has been an interlocking chain of events. Of course, my family come first and that has been an adventure on high waves with three adopted kids, now grown, with their own baggage; some of which just can't be jetisoned; and now with children of their own. The solid rock in my life is my wife and soul partner Alison, As old as I am, I remain curious about how the cosmos works and what makes humanity tick. I think the stories that we tell ourselves are among the most important things in the world.

Conference Programme

Find out more in our conference programme.

Submit an abstract

As part of person-centred care, nurses and midwives are required to address personal and spiritual beliefs. The EPICC Network welcomes proposals for submissions from all people who are interested in spiritual care. We want to hear the perspectives of students, service users and carers, professionals, researchers and educators. We hope through sharing these perspectives, we can improve experiences of person-centred spiritual care.

What to include in your abstract:

Content

Does the abstract demonstrate a coherent objective and demonstrate a clear presentation idea? Share your experiences and evidence of spiritual care in clinical practice or education.

Interest

Is the abstract relevant to the conference and will it be of interest to the conference audience?

  • Word limit: Maximum length is 300 words.
  • Language: English.
  • Deadline for submission: 6th December 2024

Your abstract will be considered by the committee reviewers.

  • Acceptance notification date: 13st January 2025
  • Contact for enquiries: Joanne Fleet. Email: j.fleet@worc.ac.uk
  • Please submit your abstract via our online form.

Posters will be published on the EPICC website and the University of Worcester EPICC conference website.

All abstract presenters will be required to book a conference place at the early bird rate.

Poster presenters are requested to be present during the poster walk at the conference.

Accommodation

There are various places to stay in Worcester. Some options are listed below:

Terms and conditions/Cancellation policy for conferences and events

  1. If a delegate is unable to attend an event for any reason they may substitute, by arrangement with the event administrator, someone else from the same institute/organisation.
  2. If a delegate is unable to attend, and is not in a position to transfer his/her place to another person, the following refund arrangements apply:
    • Bookings cancelled more than 30 days before the event will receive a full refund.
    • Bookings cancelled less than 30 days before the event will not be eligible for a refund.
  3. Cancellations made by delegates after a failed visa application will be refunded in full upon receipt of evidence of the visa refusal.

 

Refunds will be made in the following ways:   

  • For payments received by credit or debit cards, the same credit/debit card will be refunded.
  • For all other payments, a bank transfer will be made to the payee nominated account. 

Event cancellation   

We will do our best to ensure that the event goes ahead, but we reserve the right to cancel at any time. If we do so (other than for reasons outside of our control), we will refund your event fee in full but will have no further liabilities to you. In particular we will not meet the costs of any pre-booked travel or external accommodation. Therefore, we would advise against booking nonrefundable travel or accommodation.

EPICC Conference dinner

  • Date: 8 May 2025
  • Time: 17.30 – 19.30
  • Venue: Campus Canteen

Menu

Main course

Choice of one of the following:

  • Freshly battered fish, chips and peas
  • Homemade vegan ‘chicken’ and mushroom pie, chips and peas
Dessert
  • Eton mess

Travelling to the University of Worcester

View the address for: University of Worcester, St John's Campus.

EPICC Network

If you'd like to know more about EPICC, please look at the EPICC Network website.

 

Visiting Worcester

Worcester has a wide range of things to do and see, from historical sites such as the Cathedral and Commandary, to walks along the River Severn or up the Malvern Hills.

Find out more about what you can do in Worcester.