Training & Education
Our training and education programmes support Hawke’s Bay health professionals to achieve the best possible care for patients in our region. Our courses cover a range of topics, including pain management, caring for patients with dementia, last days of life, loss and grief, and addressing your own needs as healthcare professionals.
Healthcare professionals are invited to take a look at our upcoming course and education programme, and to get in touch with any questions.
Please only attend Training if you are feeling well. Mask wearing in Education is optional.
View the Hospice NZ Palliative Care Breakfast Lecture Series February to December 2026 schedule
(This link will take you to the HNZ website, once the 2026 calendar has been published the link will be updated)
View the Cranford Hospice Educational calendar for 2026
Link to the Cranford Hospice eLearning platform. (This will only allow access for Cranford staff and CSCI Refresher workshop attendees)
Advance Care Planning (ACP) Level 1A - $100
Are you passionate about advance care planning? We are looking for health professionals who want to:
* help grow the use of ACP
* learn how to translate an individual’s wishes into written documentation for their advance care planning
* gain experience in supporting patients with ACP
Completing ACP e-learning is recommended before attending the workshop: https://acp.elearning.ac.nz/login/index.php
2026 Dates:
9 March
22 June
28 September
7 December
All sessions are 8.15 am to 3.30 pm on a Monday
Venue:
Elms House, Cranford Hospice, entrance is at 304 Knight St Hastings
Fundamentals of Palliative Care – Clinical Workshop - $65
This programme is designed for any healthcare worker caring for people with a palliative care need. Being educated about palliative care will help you improve the assessment and outcomes for people in your care, their family and whānau, as well as yourself and other healthcare workers.
There are 4 online modules, beginning with Essence, followed by 2 face to face workshops.
Watch this short 2 minute introductory video for FOPC. It includes what is covered in the programme, how to sign up, what you need to do to complete the programme and where to go for support.
Click here to access Cranford Hospice’s flyer for FoPC
NOTE: Prerequisite online reading required, and Bookings are essential.
To attend this Clinical Workshop please complete the following online modules:
* Essence – focuses on what Palliative Care is and what is meant by a palliative approach to care.
* Managing Pain & Long-term Illnesses (incl Pharmacology) – this is split into two topics 1. How to recognise pain and pharmacological/non-pharmacological treatments 2. Chronic Illness & Dementia covers recognising these aspects & the challenges people face.
Link to Hospice NZ online learning website: Hospice New Zealand
Workshop dates:
3 March – Tuesday
26 May – Tuesday
16 September – Wednesday
All sessions are 12.30 to 5 pm
Venue:
Elms House, Cranford Hospice, entrance is at 304 Knight Street, Hastings 4122
Click here to register your place on this FoPC Combined Workshop
Fundamentals of Palliative Care – Combined Workshop - $100
This programme is designed for any healthcare worker caring for people with a palliative care need. Being educated about palliative care will help you improve the assessment and outcomes for people in your care, their family and whānau, as well as yourself and other healthcare workers.
Watch this short 2 minute introductory video for FOPC. It includes what is covered in the programme, how to sign up, what you need to do to complete the programme and where to go for support.
There are 4 online modules, beginning with Essence, followed by 2 face to face workshops.
Click here to access Cranford Hospice’s flyer for FoPC
NOTE: Prerequisite online reading required, and Bookings are essential.
To attend this Combined Workshop please complete the following online modules:
* Essence – focuses on what Palliative Care is and what is meant by a palliative approach to care.
* The Palliative Care Approach – focuses on ethics, communication and spirituality.
* Care & Support at the End of Life – is about last days of life, loss and grief; with a focus on how to care for everyone and support people in care and their family and whānau.
Workshop dates:
3 February
5 May
1 September
All sessions are 9 am to 4 pm
Venue:
Elms House, Cranford Hospice, entrance is at 304 Knight Street, Hastings 4122
Click here to register your place on this FoPC Combined Workshop
HNZ Palliative Care for Caregivers - $100
The purpose of this short course is to enable caregivers and health professionals to deliver improved palliative care to the people they are caring for. The course will improve their knowledge and understanding of palliative care by exploring a number of topics.
These include palliative care philosophy, pain and symptom management, communication and support, the last days of life and bereavement.
2026 Dates:
22 May – Friday
13 November – Friday
All sessions are 9 am to 4.30 pm
Venue:
Elms House, Cranford Hospice, entrance is at 304 Knight St Hastings
Click here to see the flyer
HNZ Palliative Care Lecture Series 2026 - Free
Hospice NZ are delighted to present the Palliative Care Lecture Series in 2026. A monthly webinar featuring guest speakers. This education opportunity is designed for healthcare professionals with an interest in palliative care.
The lectures will be delivered via webcast on the first Thursday of every month from March to December 2026 from 7.30 to 8.30am.
Direct link to Hospice NZ website: https://www.hospice.org.nz/palliative_care_lecture_series
Instructions for individuals to register:
Individuals may access the lectures via a smartphone, tablet or computer connected to the internet.
On the Breakfast Lecture flyer, you will see a link at the bottom of the page to register for the webinar. Simply click through the link and answer the short questionnaire, and you’ll be registered.
Following registration, you will receive an email confirming your registration and link to join the session. This link is unique to you. Please don’t share it.
NOTE: You Must PRE-REGISTER (individually) to receive your link to join the Webinar.
Should you require an attendance certificate, you will need to fill out the post-lecture evaluation, the link for which will be provided at the end of the lecture, and make sure to provide your email.
Certificates will be sent electronically to the individual who has registered and completed the online survey. Attending the lecture is as simple as attending a zoom.
You can email us for further information education@cranfordhospice.org.nz
How to Respond to Grieving People - $100 (covers both sessions)
The ‘How to Respond to Grieving People’ training is a 2-part workshop with Dr Lynn Twigley and Paul McOnie. It explores communication skills, empower strategies and ways to respond when in challenging situations or asked difficult questions.
This is open for all Healthcare professionals and volunteers.
In 2026 there are two workshops:
7 & 14 April
20 & 27November
All sessions are 9 am to 1 pm
You must be available for both sessions.
Venue: Elms House, Cranford Hospice, entrance is at 304 Knight St Hastings
Serious Illness Conversation Guide - $65
When you have difficult conversations with patients, do you sometimes wonder how to start?
Are you confident you are discussing patients’ prognosis in a way that allows them to really understand what you are telling them?
Do you understand their fears and worries, and what is important to them?
This workshop helps clinicians feel more confident to have quality conversations with seriously ill people.
2026 Dates:
21 April
11 August
6 October
17 November
All sessions are on a Tuesday from 8.45 am to 1 pm
Venue:
Elms House, Cranford Hospice, entrance is at 304 Knight St Hastings
Click here to see the flyer
Syringe Driver (CSCI) Training - Initial Workshop $65 Refresher Workshop $30
The Hospice New Zealand Syringe Driver Competency program was developed to provide healthcare professionals, including Registered Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists, and Paramedics, with the necessary knowledge and skills to manage syringe drivers competently.
Syringe Driver Initial Training
Consists of online training (theory and a medication test), followed by a face-to-face competency workshop. The online training is hosted by Hospice New Zealand – https://knowledgehub.hospice.org.nz/login/index.php
The workshop must be completed within 3 months of completing the online module, and the number of participants is limited 6 per workshop.
NB: The workshop may only be attended if you have completed and passed the online learning.
Cost: $65
Syringe Driver Refresher Training
Revises both theory & practical. The Refresher Course is a 2-hour face-to-face workshop followed by a test that will be available on Cranford’s Moodle Platform instead of paper and pen. Access to Moodle will be enabled after you have attended the workshop. The online test must be attempted within 12 weeks of the Refresher training workshop. If not attempted and passed the workshop will need to be repeated, which will incur further costs.
Cost: $30
Click here to access Cranford Hospice’s Syringe Driver flyer
Venue: Elms House, Cranford Hospice, entrance is at 304 Knight Street, Hastings
If there is any change to the venue you will be advised.
You can email us for further information and / or bookings: education@cranfordhospice.org.nz
or click here to open the Education Registration Form