A new web portal providing a raft of educational and training information for anyone delivering specialist end of life care has been launched across Norfolk and Suffolk.

The “learning location” website, available at www.learning-location.com/palliative-care, has been put together by the Norfolk and Suffolk Palliative Care Academy. The first section – for health and social care professionals – aims to bring learning resources into one place and making it easier for people to access appropriate support and training.

The site is suitable for anyone involved in end of life care in Norfolk and Suffolk, including health and social care professionals and those working in care homes or hospice settings. As well as giving information about all of the education opportunities and training which is available, it will help staff decide which courses are best suited to their individual needs, with the overall aim of improving patient care.

Maggie Parsons, cancer and end of life programme manager, said: “Caring for somebody with a life-limiting condition or illness is one of the hardest and most important things which a health or social care professional will ever do. But providing really good care is easier if you have the right skills and knowledge, which is where this new website can help.

“The website will help anyone providing palliative care to find support, education and training options to help them deliver high quality care. It will help them decide which learning is right for them by filtering the options to match each individual’s personal requirements. The website also gives staff the option of setting up their own account and keeping a confidential record of the courses they complete to help them monitor their own development.

“We would urge anyone involved in palliative care to take a few minutes to look around the website and check back often as new courses and options will be added to the site regularly.”

The Norfolk and Suffolk Palliative Care Academy is a group of individuals and organisations who are working together to improve palliative care education and training with the aim of ultimately improving patient care.

Set up in 2012, it aims to give patients more choice at the end of their lives, improve the care available, provide more support for carers and increase transferable skills so that staff can deliver care in all areas more effectively.

The launch of www.learning-location.com/palliative-care is the first in a series of activities planned for 2013, which will include a public awareness campaign launching in May. The website will be further developed later in the year to include a section for the public to use.