Welcome to the website of the Cambridge Palliative & End of Life Care (CPEOLC) research group!

Research at the end of life concerns, ultimately, all of us. It is full of controversies, contrasts and unknowns. It is full of practical and methodological challenges. The people we study are often at the boundary between life and death. You cannot go in easily with your new idea for service improvement, questionnaire or audio-recorder.

Palliative and end of life care research is a surprisingly small field of enquiry when you consider its ‘no exceptions’ relevance and complexity. The Cambridge Palliative & End of Life Care Group, co-led by Dr Stephen Barclay and Dr Anna Spathis, is one of only a few centres for such research in the UK.

Our work is global in its collaborations, ambitions and quality. It is also frequently local – with our GP practices, our hospices, our hospitals – as we are committed to making a tangible difference.

The focus we take varies. We look closely into the experiences of patients and their families. We investigate new models of care for their promise. We question existing ones for their omissions, problematic assumptions and sources of inequality. We carry out research to understand the perspectives of clinicians and to support their professional development. We work to elicit system factors, trends, financial implications and other evidence to support commissioners, organisational leaders, and policy makers in their decision making.

Our research projects are mainly in the areas of Communication and decision making, Medical education, Organisation of services and care provision, Patients’ and carers’ quality of life, needs and preferences and Symptoms and symptom management.

We also contribute extensively to teaching in palliative and end of life care.

Take a look at our webpages and do get in touch if our work is of interest. Thank you for visiting!

Photo credits: GoShiva, adl21, marekuliasz, travelllight and Jan_Kowalski at iStock, Getty Images.