It’s a contradiction at the heart of Dr Ross Cruikshank’s work as a palliative care doctor. Dr Ross Cruikshank treats people who are dying, but says his role is about affirming life. Key points and original sources are listed below.

• It’s a contradiction at the heart of Dr Ross Cruikshank’s work as a palliative care doctor. His patients are terminally ill – people with metastatic cancer, organ failure or degenerative disease. Mortality, a notion most people won’t reckon with until old age,...S1

• Dr Ross Cruikshank treats people who are dying, but says his role is about affirming life.S2S3