Biography
Professor Stephen Barclay works clinically as General Practitioner and Palliative Medicine Honorary Consultant. He is Professor of Palliative Care at the University of Cambridge and Bye-Fellow and Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine at Emmanuel College. He has worked in Palliative Care research for over 20 years and published over 200 peer-reviewed papers. His research focusses on General Practitioner and District Nurse provision of Palliative and End of Life care, end of life care conversations and advance care planning and medical student education in Palliative Care, among others. He co-leads the teaching of Palliative Care in the Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, which is now a significant part of the clinical course and is regularly examined in Finals exams. He co-leads the Undergraduate Education Forum of the Association for Palliative Medicine and is currently leading a revision of the APM national curriculum for medical student teaching. He is Clinical Lead in End of Life Care for the Cambridge and Peterborough Integrated Care System. Until October 2024 he co-led the national Palliative and End of Life Care Collaboration of the NIHR Applied Research Collaborations and the PEOLC Theme of the NIHR ARC in the East of England.
Research
Community Palliative and End of Life Care Medical student education in Palliative Care
Publications
Johansson T, Chambers R, Curtis T, Pask S, Greenley S, Brittain M, Bone A, Laidlaw L, Okamoto I, Barclay S, Higginson I, Murtagh F, Sleeman K. (2024) "The effectiveness of out-of-hours palliative care telephone advice lines: A rapid systematic review". Palliative Medicine: 38 (5): 625 – 643 doi:10.1177/02692163241248544
Bowers B, Pollock K, Wilkerson I, Massou E, Brimicombe J, Barclay S (2024). “Administering end-of-life anticipatory medications prescribed in the anticipation of the end of life in the community: a mixed-methods observational study”. International Journal of Nursing Studies: e-pub; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2024.104734 -
Petrova M, Barclay S. (2024) “From “wading through treacle” to “making haste, slowly” in patient data sharing. A comprehensive yet parsimonious model of drivers and challenges to data sharing based on an EPaCCS evaluation and four pre-existing literature reviews”. PLOS Digital Health 3(3): e0000470. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000470
Etkind S, Barclay S, Spathis A, Hopkins S, Bowers B, Koffman J. (2024) “Uncertainty in serious illness: a national interdisciplinary consensus exercise to identify clinical re-search priorities”. PLOS ONE; 19(2): e0289522 doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289522
Chukwusa E, Barclay S, Gulliford M, Harding R, Higginson I, Verne J (2023) “General practice service use at the end-of-life before and during the COVID pandemic: a population-based cohort study using primary care electronic health records”. British Journal of General Practice Open; 0108: doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2023.0108
Abrahamson V, Wilson P, Barclay S, Brigden C, Gage H, Greene K, Hashem F, Mikelyte R, Rees-Roberts M, Sislbury G, Goodwin M, Swash B, Wee B, Williams P, Butler C. (2023) “Family carer experiences of hospice care at home: findings from a mixed methods realist evaluation”. Palliative Medicine; 37(10): 1529 - 1539 doi.org:10.1177/02692163231206027
Morgan L, Barclay S, Pollock K, Massou E, Bowers B. (2023) "The financial costs of anticipatory prescribing. A retrospective observational study of prescribed, administered and wasted medications using community clinical records". Palliative Medicine; 37(10): 1554 - 1561 doi.org:10.1177/02692163231198372
Dixon K, Conci R, Bowers B, Duschinsky R, Spathis A, Barclay S (2023) " Traveller end of life care experiences and needs: thematic analysis”. BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care; 0: 1 - 10 doi:10.1136/spcare-2023-004284
Bowers B, Howard P, Madden B, Pollock K, Barclay S. (2023) “Is end-of-life anticipatory prescribing always enough?”. British Medical Journal 2023; 381: p1106. DOI 10.1136/bmj.p1106
Leniz J, Davies J, Bone A, Hocaoglu M, Verne J, Barclay S, Murtagh F, Fraser L, Higginson I, Sleeman K (2023). “Deaths at home, area-based deprivation and the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic: an analysis of mortality data across four nations”. Palliative Medicine; 37 (7): 1034 - 1039 DOI: 10.1177/02692163231167212
Turner N, Wahid A, Oliver P, Gardiner C, Chapman H, Khan D, Boyd K, Dale J, Barclay S, Mayland C, Mitchell S (Dec 2022). “Role and response of primary healthcare services in community end-of-life care during COVID-19. Qualitative study and recommendations for primary palliative care delivery”. Palliative Medicine; 37(2): 235 – 243 doi.org/10.1177/02692163221140435
Bowers B, Pollock K, Barclay S (2022). “Simultaneously reassuring and unsettling: a longitudinal qualitative study of community anticipatory medication prescribing for older patients”. Age and Ageing; 51 (12): 1 – 11. doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac293
Etkind SN, Li J, Louca J, Hopkins S, Kuhn I, Spathis A, Barclay S. (2022). “Total Uncertainty. A systematic review and thematic synthesis of experiences of uncertainty in advanced multimorbidity”. Age and Ageing 2022; 51: 1–11 doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac18
Teaching and Supervisions
Over the last 15 years I have worked with colleagues to progressively develop the teaching of Palliative Care in the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine from one half day per week to currently 30 half days per week. Our teaching has been described by the CEO of the GMC as an "exemplar of best practice" in medical student Palliative Care teaching. I also regularly teach GP Trainees in Cambridge, Huntingdon and King's Lynn
PhD / MD supervision 2010 – 2014. Erica Borgstrom: "Choice and care at the end of life – an anthropological examination” Awarded April 2014. 2012 – 2016. Liz Dzeng: “Decision making concerning resuscitation: a US – UK comparison”. Awarded February 2017. 2014 – 2017. Sarah Hoare: "Hospital admissions close to the end of life” Awarded January 2017 2013 – 2019. Anna Spathis: “The management of cancer-related fatigue in teenagers and young adults”. Awarded March 2019 2017 – 2021. Tessa Morgan: “Oldest-old spouses caring for their partner approaching end-of-life: a narrative study” Awarded September 2021 2018 – 2022. Ben Bowers: “Anticipatory prescribing in community end of life care” Awarded January 2022 2019 – 2024. Megha Majumder: “Anticipatory prescribing for end of life care in the care home setting” Awarded May 2024 2020 – date. Joshua Gallagher: “Towards healthy dying. The maintenance of identity in ageing and dying”. Started October 2020; to submit early 2025 2020 – date. Susannah Browne: “The role of General Practitioners in End of Life Care in Care Homes” Started October 2020; to submit early 2025 2021 – date. Lucy Pocock: “Sharing Information at the Primary / Secondary care interface for patients with a poor prognosis”. Started December 2020 (6 years part-time) 2021 – date. Sarah Hopkins: “Using experience-based co-design to improve the impact of advance care planning on the quality of life and care of frail older people”. Started April 2022 (6 years part-time) 2024 – date. Arjun Kingdon: “How is personalised care for people with palliative care needs in hospital defined, prioritised, delivered, and experienced by patients, family members, clinicians and healthcare leaders?” Started October 2024 (4 years part-time) 2024 – date. Robert Brodrick: "Hyperrealistic manikins for End of Life Simulation in Undergraduate Medicine” Started October 2024 (4 years part-time)
Other Professional Activities
I am Bye-Fellow and Co-Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine at Emmanuel College, Cambridge
