Kathryn was a consultant in palliative care medicine for 20 years, working in hospices,
patients’ own homes and a large teaching hospital. She took early retirement in 2016 to work for better public understanding of dying; this has included radio work, newspaper articles and a book ‘With the End in Mind’ that somewhat expectedly, became an international Best Seller, was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize and was The Times "Thought" Book of the Year. Her second book ‘Listen’ about tender communication, was published to critical acclaim in September 2020. She believes that by naming death, describing the process and helping people to know what to expect, we can have honest, frank and helpful conversations that promote better planning of end of life care and reduce unnecessary and unhelpful medical complications of dying. Her hope is that we can de-medicalise dying and give it back to everyone as a precious time to be lived as well as possible.