EoL in the Southwest a participatory realist study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Care of people at the end of their lives in the rural and coastal communities of the South West Peninsula of England: A participatory realist evaluation (Work package 1 and 4)

• IRAS ID

  355730

• Contact name

  Susie Pearce

• Contact email

  susie.pearce@plymouth.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Plymouth

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 3 months, 3 days

• Research summary

  We will all die at some point; however, the way people and families are supported at the end of life varies significantly. Evidence suggests that people living in rural and coastal areas may find it harder to access the care they want at the end of their lives. End of Life care (EoLC) is defined as the care of people in their last twelve months of life, with a focus on supporting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Often rural and coastal locations have a higher number of older people and people facing social and economic challenges. Whilst we know there are problems in accessing EoLC, there hasn’t been much research into understanding why these problems exist and how we can improve EoLC in these areas.

  This study, funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), will look at how people are cared for and supported at the end of their lives, particularly in rural and coastal areas. We will use a method called realist evaluation to understand what works well and what doesn’t in providing support for people and their families. There are four work packages (WP) which will run in parallel over 28 months. This study is WP’s 1 and 4 of the larger study. WP1 will provide in-depth case studies involving patients, carers, and professionals. It will explore their lived experiences to help understand the contexts and mechanisms that influence care outcomes in rural and coastal communities. Interviews, focus groups and observations will be used for the case studies. WP4 will engage patients, carers, and professionals in a series of workshops to synthesise findings from across the study.
  

• REC name

  Wales REC 6

• REC reference

  25/WA/0309

• Date of REC Opinion

  20 Oct 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion