London Ambulance Service and Hammerson House organise seminar to enhance end of life care for Jewish and Muslim patients

London Ambulance Service and Nightingale Hammerson hosted an insightful seminar to help paramedics at the Service learn about the religious requirements for Jewish and Muslim patients at the end of life.

The seminar at Hammerson House, Wohl Campus, which cares for older members of the Jewish community, will help ambulance crews to treat patients in their preferred place of care and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.

During the event, the end of life beliefs for both the Muslim and Jewish faith were explored, whilst discussing practical patient support and updates on the Medical Examiner Service, which provides safeguards to the public and supports bereaved families.

The engagement between paramedics, faith leaders, palliative care teams and the Lead Medical Examiner for Barnet resulted in lots of discussion on different cultural ways people can be looked after at the end of life.

Dr Lyann Gross, Assistant Medical Director at London Ambulance Service and GP at Hammerson House, who organised the event, said: “This was a fabulous opportunity to bring together many professionals in the community who care for people at the end of life.

“Over the years, it has been inspiring to see my London Ambulance Service colleagues strive to do whatever possible to provide person-centred care in these situations and to always ask what more they can do to support our patients’ religious beliefs.”

Jodie Grace, Macmillan Paramedic Associate for the Palliative and End of Life Care team at London Ambulance Service, said: “The afternoon was incredibly engaging and I found the discussions profoundly interesting. The speakers were truly inspiring—warm, open, and exceptional in their delivery.

“They navigated the complexities of dying, death, and religion with grace, making the afternoon informative and beautifully reflective.”

The speakers at the seminar for London Ambulance Service paramedics included Dr Yossi Spitzer (GP and author of the book ‘A Guide to the orthodox Way of Life for Health Care Professionals’), representatives from Misaskim, Dr Jo Ish-Horowicz (Lead Medical Examiner for Barnet), Sidney Sinitsky (Jewish Burial Society) and Mohamed Omer (Co-Founder of Gardens of Peace).

The event ended with a panel discussion including all the speakers together with Kevin Cuddon (Clinical Lead at Hatzola Northwest and Advanced Paramedic at London Ambulance Service) and Maggie Fitzgerald (Nurse Specialist from North London Hospice).

Nuno Santos Lopes, Director of Research, Innovation and Community Engagement at Nightingale Hammerson said: “With the increasing pressure the NHS is facing when looking after people at the end-of-life, including those in care homes, it is important that all faith leaders and healthcare professionals work together to provide a holistic compassionate care to people at the end of their lives and their relatives.”

The Macmillan End of Life Care team at London Ambulance Service, who attended the event, work alongside hospices and palliative care teams to improve the care provided to Londoners in their final years of life.

They promote use of the Universal Care Plan as a way of digitally sharing the wishes, preferences and treatment plans of patients 24 hours a day.