Mrs Kirsten Bashir

Professional biography

I am currently a member of the Open University Open Thanatology group and the Nursing Research and Scholarship group.

Having worked in cancer care services for over twenty years I am interested in how we develop and support this workforce. Globally cancer is the leading cause of cancer and with statistics now showing that 1 in 2 people will suffer with cancer in their lifetime it is realistic to assume that this would impact nursing in all fields of practice. I stared my Professional Doctorate programme with the Open University on 1st October 2022 and the focus of my research topic is the pre-registration nursing curricula and to consider if it prepares students to meet the needs of cancer patients.

Survey and evaluation of End-of-life Doula UK. Leeds CCG have commissioned a pilot of this service. As part of the Open Thanatology group, I am involved in this ongoing research project. End-of-life Doula UK provided £2000 research funding/ RESDEV funding awarded 11/02/22/ KTV funding £9,990 awarded 11/07/2022. Following ethical approval, the survey has been designed and implemented. The project has been extended into 2024 and I am supporting this through consultancy work.

I am part of a research working group undertaking a systematic review looking at ‘Young lives interrupted by malignant melanoma: exploring the experiences within a relational context’ (TYAC grant 2022/23).

• Patients and their families affected by cancer
• Cancer pathways and treatments
• Clinical practice and skills
• Assessment and feedback
• End of life care
• Health inequalities
• Health Child programme
• Childhood Obesity

Chapters in books

Midgley, K. (2007) ‘Leading the way: the role of education in achieving clinical standards in the haematological oncology setting’ in Foyle, L. & Hostad, J. (eds) Innovations in Cancer and Palliative Care Education Radcliffe Publishing, Oxford p.48-61.

Papers in refereed journals

Midgley, K.A. & Copland, R. (2002) Development of a nurse-led pre-transplant clinic. Bone Marrow Transplantation Volume 29, Supplement 2.

Midgely, K.A. (2006) Pre-registration student nurses’ perception of the hospital-learning environment during clinical placements. Nurse Education Today 26, pp.338-345.

Von Lilienfeld, M., Midgley, K.A., Liebersbach, S., Barnard, L., Gileece, M. & Cook, G. (2007) Observation-Based Early Warning Scores to Detect Impending Critical Illness Predict In-Hospital and Overall Survival in Patients Undergoing Allogenic Stem Cell Transplantation. Biology of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation 13 (5), pp. 568-576.

Conference presentations (refereed)

Development of a nurse-led pre-transplant clinic (2002). Poster presentation at EBMT, March 2002, Montreux, Switzerland.2002          

Living with Myeloma presented July 2002 at a study day hosted by the International Myeloma Foundation, Hilton Hotel, Leeds.

Pre-registration student nurses’ perception of the hospital-learning environment during clinical placements (2003). Poster presentation at The Leeds NHS Teaching Hospital Trust conference, Elland Road, Leeds.

From Ward to Intensive Care - Utilising Early Warning Scores in the Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Setting by K.A. Midgley, R. Copland, The General Infirmary at Leeds (Leeds, UK). Oral presentation at EBMT,  March 2004, Barcelona, Spain.

 “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand” – Facilitating Nurse Training and Education in Bone Marrow Transplantation by K.A.Midgley, LTHT, Leeds, UK. Poster presentation at EBMT, March 2005, Prague, Czech. Republic. 

Workshop presentation EWS in the haematology and BMT setting. Oral presentation at Northern Critical Care Networks Outreach Training Day 23^rd November 2005

Issues in attaining Valid Informed Consent within the Haematology Setting. Oral presentation at YCRN Annual Haematology Study Day – An update in research, 16^th May 2007 Hilton Hotel, Leeds

No Time to Learn Oral Presentation at the RCN Cancer Care Conference 25th January 2008, Chester Racecourse, Chester

Borgstrom, E., Clare, E., Bashir, K., Pestano, C., & Ramsey-Jones, E. (2023) From voluntary to commissioned: learning innovative end of life doula provision in Leeds. 1 hour panel at Centre for Death and Society (CDAS) conference, online.

Erica Borgstrom, Emma Clare, Catherine Pestano, Esther Ramsey-Jones, and Kirsten Bashir. (2023) End of Life Doulas and learning through transition: examining commissioned doula services in Leeds. Death Dying and Disposal Conference (DDD), in-person/Italy. Oral presentation

Borgstrom, E., Bashir, K., Clare, E., Pestano, C., Ramsey-Jones, E., (2023) Designing a post-bereavement survey to understand the impact of end-of-life doula provision. European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) congress, in-person/Netherlands. Poster presentation.

External Examiner Oxford Brookes University on ; SACT Administration and Patient Care; Advanced Communication and Supportive Relationships; Care at the End of Life and Diploma of Higher Education in Palliative Care (Nairobi Hospice).

Member of ACCEND Programme (HEE project) part of Workstream 1 Pre-registration nursing and cancer care.