New research reveals the complexities of making ‘Just in Case’ medications available for people nearing the end of life at home. Patients, informal carers and healthcare professionals interviewed for the research said their presence could cause distress as well as comfort. Some families reported difficulties persuading nurses to administer the medications to relieve suffering. The […]
Terminally ill people struggling to access essential care at home during evenings and weekends
Terminally ill people are struggling to access essential care at home during evenings and weekends, according to new research from King’s College London, Hull York Medical School and the Primary Care Unit at the University of Cambridge. Marie Curie, which funded the research, warns that the findings mean that people are dying in pain. Read […]
Innovation and research in anticipatory prescribing: Study Day report
Anticipatory Prescribing in community End of Life Care by Dr Ben Bowers Recent innovations and research in end-of-life anticipatory prescribing practice were discussed at a national Study Day hosted by PELiCam on 21 September 2022. The national Cross-Applied Health Research Collaboration (ARC) event brought healthcare professionals and researchers together to share and discuss recent research […]
New quality measures needed in end-of-life care
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 […]