A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal

Lilette was born in Guyana and grew up in Laing Avenue. After leaving St Joseph High School, I worked as a teaching assistant in Berbice, then at the Woodlands Hospital Georgetown as a nursing assistant. In 1973 Lilette was sponsored by Wexham Park Hospital (UK) for nurse training. Lilette trained as an RN, BSc in community nursing, MA Professional Practice in Health and Social Care, Diploma in Palliative/End of Life Care (EOLC), Dolula in 2017 and Quality End of Life Care For All Trainer. 

With over 25 years of experience working with patients/families in the community as a district nursing sister, clinical nurse specialist with Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice, Barts Health as a Palliative/EOLC facilitator in care homes in East London, and finally in education as a facilitator in the Care Home Project Team (St Christopher's Hospice). With colleagues in the Care Home Project Team Lilette co won the Linda McInhill award for innovation in 2018. This project focused on Palliative/EOLC in Learning Disability Homes.

Lilette hopes that Palliative/EOLC for patients/families, education for healthcare professionals in Guyana will be developed. Raising awareness of Palliative/EOLC in Guyana and the UK is a focus.

Michael Beckles is first generation Black British. He was born in south London to parents from Barbados and Guyana. He often visited the Caribbean as a child to see his grandparents and extended family.

He read medicine at the University of Manchester Medical School and was awarded a scholarship for an intercalated BSc (Hons). He qualified as doctor in 1990 and trained in the teaching and district general hospitals of London and the north-west. He was appointed consultant respiratory and general physician at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in 2001.

He has an interest in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical students; he lectured on the course entitled, "So you want to be a doctor," at the Royal Society of Medicine for a number of years and has been a mentor to Afro-Caribbean medical students. He has contributed to national and international guidelines on the management of lung cancer, and he is enthusiastic on advising members of the diaspora on their health.

His mother passed away on Good Friday this year. She had excellent palliative care in the hospice of St John and St Elizabeth. He is honoured to have been invited to become the first patron of the Supporting End of Life Care/Education Guyana charity. 

Consultant Respiratory & General Physician

13 Devonshire Street, London, W1G 7AE

T: 02070348303

E: drbecklespa@thephysiciansclinic.co.uk

F:02076927927

W: www.mabeckles.com