New quality measures are urgently needed for end-of-life and palliative care, to assess the care given to all patients in all settings, say researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Primary Care Unit. That’s because in the UK and elsewhere, end-of life care is provided in many different settings and by a wide range of health […]
Research shows end of life care was not seen as an essential, frontline service in the pandemic
A new report published today shows how palliative and end of life care in the UK was compromised by shortages of PPE, essential medicines, and equipment, because these services were not seen as ‘frontline NHS’ in the pandemic. Better End of Life – a collaboration between Marie Curie, King’s College London Cicely Saunders Institute, Hull York Medical School, […]
Key issues in bereavement care and anticipatory prescribing
Two new research summaries from the Palliative & End of Life Care Group in Cambridge, on anticipatory prescribing and on bereavement care, pull together the group’s latest research on those themes. The summaries uncover key issues for practitioners and policymakers, including effects of the pandemic. Anticipatory prescribing for adults at end of life […]
End-of-life care during COVID-19: opportunities and challenges for community nursing
Community nursing teams have acquired extended roles in palliative and end-of-life care during the pandemic. Despite increased caseloads, they have continued to provide face to face care for dying people at home and in care homes, say researchers in an article published in the British Journal of Community Nursing. Ben Bowers at the University of […]
Dr Stephen Barclay provides expert help on end of life care in the community during the pandemic
As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic develops, increasing numbers of seriously ill and dying patients are being cared for at home and in care homes by GPs, nurses, and their families and friends. Significant challenges are emerging for primary care practitioners including: symptom management for the dying phase of COVID-19; planning and coordination of […]
Research Alert and video: Advance care planning in heart failure patients
This research alert is for those working in healthcare. It summarises the case for interventions to engage clinicians in advance care planning with heart failure patients and sets out the latest findings from our research into what interventions work. See the two minute video about this topic on our YouTube channel and download this page […]