• Yvonne Millerick and Iain Armstrong.
• aCaring Together Programme, Glasgow Caledonian University bCaring Together Programme, Marie Curie Cancer Care/British Heart Foundation, Glasgow.
• Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2015 Mar 1; 9 (1): 31-7.

Purpose Of ReviewInternational bodies acknowledge that palliative care principles and access to palliative care services should be offered to persons living with and dying from advanced illness such as heart failure. Without an appropriately trained workforce, however, appropriate goals of care and associated reductions in hospital utilizations may not be feasible.Marie Curie Cancer Care, British Heart Foundation Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are working in partnership to improve the quality and access to palliative care for patients and their caregivers living with and dying from advanced heart failure. A training needs assessment has been undertaken as part of this programme in order to inform the development of training specific to heart failure and palliative care.Recent FindingsThe results of the training needs assessment showed that the majority of respondents had some level of training needs to underpin their existing knowledge and skills in relation to palliative care, heart failure or both.SummaryWell trained professionals will improve the coordination, earlier identification, quality of care provision and communication between all stakeholders. In doing so, the opportunity to facilitate preferred care wishes and preferred place of care for patients and families is optimised. Without this aligning, clinical practice with national guidance is not feasible.

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