Biography
Ben is a clinical-academic community nurse. He is a Wellcome Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and practices clinically as an Honorary Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care. Ben is also the Deputy Theme Lead for NIHR ARC East of England’s Palliative and End of Life Care theme.
Ben was recently announced as one of the 75 nurses and midwives whose work has had an especially significant impact on the NHS since its creation. He was awarded the RCGP & SAPC Outstanding Early Career Researcher in 2024 and the European Association for Palliative Care Early Researcher Award 2023, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to international palliative care and primary care research. Ben is a Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute, and an Honorary Associate Professor with the University of Nottingham.
Research
Ben leads a programme of interdisciplinary research focused on improving care of the dying at home. Ben’s Wellcome post-doctoral interdisciplinary research is investigating the human and system factors involved in the safe, effective and timely use of injectable symptom control medications. This research draws on social science, engineering design and patient safety disciplines. Ben is also researching general practice and community nursing provision of palliative care, and end-of-life decision-making.
Ben works with colleagues across the UK to translate research findings into clinical practice and build community nurse research capacity. He co-founded and leads the UK-wide QNI Community Nursing Research Forum, with over 980 members to date. Ben is supporting several early-career researchers and is passionate about the value of interdisciplinary research and public engagement.
Publications
Brown A, Yardley S, Bowers B, et al. Multiple points of system failure underpin continuous subcutaneous infusion safety incidents in palliative care: A mixed methods analysis. Palliative Medicine 2025; 39(1): 7-21.
Bowers B, Pollock K, Wilkerson I, Massou E, Brimicombe J, Barclay S. Administering injectable medications prescribed in the anticipation of the end of life in the community: A mixed-methods observational study. International Journal of Nursing Studies 2024. 153: 104734
Couchman E, Pocock L, Bowers B, et al. Reforming primary palliative care: a call to arms. British Journal of General Practice 2024; 74: 4–6.
Morgan L, Barclay S, Pollock K, Massou E, Bowers B. The financial costs of anticipatory prescribing: A retrospective observational study of prescribed, administered and wasted medications using community clinical records. Palliative Medicine 2023; 32(10): 1544-1561
Bowers B, Antunes BCP, Etkind S, Hopkins S, Winterburn I, Kuhn I, Pollock K, Barclay S. Anticipatory prescribing in community end-of-life care: systematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence since 2017. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care 2023. Online First: 26 May 2023
Bowers B, Howard P, Madden B, Pollock K, Barclay S. Is end-of-life anticipatory prescribing always enough? British Medical Journal 2023; 381: 1106
O’Hara L, Evans C, Bowers B. Family carers' administration of injectable medications at the end of life: a service evaluation of a novel intervention. British Journal of Community Nursing 2023; Online First
Bowers B, Pollock K, Barclay S. Simultaneously reassuring and unsettling: a longitudinal qualitative study of community anticipatory medication prescribing for older patients. Age and Ageing 2022. 51(12): Online First
Bowers B, Pollock K, Barclay S. Unwelcome memento mori or best clinical practice? Community end-of-life anticipatory medication prescribing practice: a mixed methods observational study. Palliative Medicine 2022; 36(1): 95-104
Bowers B, Pollock K, Oldman C, Barclay S. End-of-life care during COVID-19: opportunities and challenges for community nursing. British Journal of Community Nursing 2021; 26(1): 44-46
Papavasiliou E, Hoare S, Bowers B, Kelly MP, Barclay S. Out-of-hours services and end-of-life hospital admissions: A complex intervention systematic review and narrative synthesis. British Journal of General Practice 2021; 71(711): e780-e787
Bowers B, Barclay SS, Pollock K, Barclay S. General Practitioners’ decisions about prescribing end-of-life anticipatory medications: a qualitative study. British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70(699) e731-739
Bowers B, Pollock K, Barclay S. Administration of end-of-life drugs by family caregivers during covid-19 pandemic. British Medical Journal 2020; 369: m1615
Bowers B, Lovick R, Pollock K, Barclay S. Patient and public involvement in general practice research. British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (694): 220-221
Bowers B, Ryan R, Kuhn I, Barclay S. Anticipatory prescribing of injectable medications for adults at the end of life in the community: A systematic literature review and narrative synthesis. Palliative Medicine 2019; 33(2): 160-177
Teaching and Supervisions
He is open to approaches supervise University of Cambridge MPhil and PhD student projects within his fields of interests.
Other Professional Activities
Community Nursing Research Consultant, Queen’s Nursing Institute (2022 – current)
Jesus College Post-Doctoral Associate (October 2022 – current)
Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Cardiff University School of Medicine (2021 – current)
