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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sociol.
Sec. Medical Sociology
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1488688
This article is part of the Research Topic Palliative and End of Life Care in the Post-Pandemic Era: Old Problems and New Perspectives View all 4 articles

Exploring perceived barriers to palliative and end of life care provision in South-West England: Bringing together the perspectives of professionals, patients and families

Provisionally accepted
Gary Hodge Gary Hodge 1*Gina Kallis Gina Kallis 1Tomasina Oh Tomasina Oh 2Hannah Wheat Hannah Wheat 2Susie Pearce Susie Pearce 1,3
  • 1 School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
  • 2 Peninsula Medical School, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
  • 3 Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Torquay, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Palliative and End of Life care (PEoLC) in the United Kingdom (UK) is increasingly being reported as inadequate. This is occurring amidst a wider backdrop of health and social care systems facing unprecedented pressure, particularly as they recover from the long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore the barriers to PEoLC faced by those providing and receiving care in South-West England (UK). This region of the UK brings its own set of unique challenges due to its rural and coastal location, an ageing population, and a historical lack of research. Methods: An exploratory study was conducted which involved patients, families and professionals who were providing and receiving PEoLC. A total of 13 qualitative focus groups were held with a total of 63 participants; 45 were health and care professionals and 18 were people towards the end of their life, family/carers and people who were bereaved. Results: A range of barriers were identified for those providing and receiving PEoLC services. These were a lack of specialist palliative and EoL care resources (particularly in out-of-hours care); poor communication, collaboration and co-ordination across providers; inequalities in the access and provision of care; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and a reluctance to have conversations about death and dying. Conclusion: This study brings together the voices of patients, family and professionals from different settings in a geographical area of the UK. Understanding their experiences and perceived barriers to care is key to being able to develop and transform care. Ultimately, there is a need for a collaborative and co-ordinated approach across both practice and research, working towards what is important to those providing, and most importantly, those receiving care at the end of their lives.

    Keywords: Palliative Care, Patient, Professionals', family carers, Hospice Care, end of life care

    Received: 30 Aug 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hodge, Kallis, Oh, Wheat and Pearce. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Gary Hodge, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.