Fast-track palliative care training to bridge the theory-practice gap.

Having identified a need to develop the knowledge and skills of health care professionals in palliative care, a specialist team from a primary care trust set up a fast-track training programme. This consists of an academic module, a four-week secondment to palliative care settings and a project undertaken in the workplace to bring about a change in practice. The programme has proved successful in increasing students' skills and confidence and in changing practice in the workplace.