End of life doula training in the UK
Living Well Dying Well, which began end of life doula training in the UK in 2010, runs a Foundation course and an End of Life Doula Diploma. Both are certified through the Crossfields Institute's continuing professional development programme. Members of End of Life Doula UK have all completed the Living Well Dying Well foundation training. (End of Life Doula UK, Living Well Dying Well)
Signposting, not medical adviceSources checked 28 September 2026
The courses
- The Foundation course. (Living Well Dying Well)
- The Diploma in the Living Well Dying Well Person-Centred Approach to Death and Dying, which builds on the four topics of the Foundation course. (Living Well Dying Well)
- Continuing professional development courses and workshops, run with End of Life Doula UK, for people in training or already trained. (Living Well Dying Well)
After training
End of Life Doula UK supports its members through mentoring, policies and guidelines, regional and national networks, and continuing professional development. (End of Life Doula UK)
If you need help now
If someone's life is in danger, call 999. If you need medical help urgently and are not sure what to do, call 111 (NHS 111 in England and Wales, NHS 24 in Scotland). In Northern Ireland, nidirect explains where to get urgent help.
If someone has just died
- If the death was expected, at home
- Contact their GP. If community nurses have been visiting, call them too: they can verify the death. Outside surgery hours, contact the on-call doctor.
- If the death was unexpected
- Call 999 straight away and explain what has happened. The police will also be told, because the coroner needs to know.
Sources: NHS: when to call 999 · NHS: when to use 111 · Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust · nidirect: when someone dies at home
Sources
- Living Well Dying Well: Certification of doula training (No date shown; read 27 September 2026)
- Living Well Dying Well: End of life doula diploma (No date shown; read 27 September 2026)
- Living Well Dying Well: Further training for doulas (No date shown; read 27 September 2026)
- End of Life Doula UK: About End of Life Doula UK (No date shown; read 28 September 2026)