Evaluation of Supportive and Palliative Care Services at UHP
Client: Marie Curie
Duration: 3 years
Funder: Marie Curie
Evaluation approach
The Social Research Unit’s evaluation will seek to understand whether, and how, the partnership between Marie Curie and UHP has contributed to the transformation of palliative and end-of-life care across UHP and improved support for patients and those close to them.
The evaluation draws on a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence held by Marie Curie, including staff interviews, reflective sessions and diaries, service user feedback, activity data, and relevant service documentation. Analysis will be structured around key evaluation questions relating to patient and service outcomes, partnership working and collaboration, the unique contribution of the Marie Curie service model, and the cultural and operational changes resulting from the partnership.
Overview
In 2024, Marie Curie and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) launched a new partnership to give people nearing the end of life greater choice and control over their care. Running until 2028, the programme delivers a new model of supportive and palliative care across Derriford Hospital wards, the Emergency Department, and Mount Gould Community Hospital, with the aim of improving experiences for patients and their loved ones during the final stages of life.
Combining Marie Curie’s specialist expertise in end-of-life care with UHP’s hospital and community services, the partnership focuses on identifying people approaching the end of life earlier, facilitating timely transfers to their preferred place of care, and ensuring compassionate, person-centred support that reflects individual wishes. By expanding community-based care options and strengthening support for patients, families and healthcare professionals, the programme aims to reduce unnecessary hospital stays and help more people receive care in the setting that is right for them.
The Social Research Unit, together with Dr Susie Pearce, have been commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation of the service, with a final report due in 2028.