Short Abstract

Marie Curie has partnered with University Hospitals Plymouth to deliver End Of Life care where people need it. We are conducting a real-time evaluation, focusing on how we've used findings as they emerge to improve service delivery and our understanding of what works in this area of work.

Description

Background

Marie Curie aims to increase their reach into hospitals to provide end of life (EOL) care where people need it. Following a successful pilot with MC Healthcare assistants providing EOL support in a busy emergency department (ED), Marie Curie have extended their partnership with University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP), expanding the service to provide dedicated EOL care beds at Mount Gould Community Hospital (MG) and a Proactive Identification Care and Transfer (PICT) team.

Aim

To increase the number of patients who are supported to die in their preferred place of death and reduce the number of deaths in the acute hospital setting. The service model expediates improvement in end-of-life care with a particular emphasis on identification of patients that are nearing the end of their lives.

Method

The service started in January 2025 and our evaluation has taken place in real-time, with the following fieldwork conducted to date:

1. Staff interviews, conducted in two phases - firstly in January 2025 focusing on early delivery and implementation and in October 2025 focusing on initial impact.

2. Reflective practise - diaries and monthly facilitated sessions with teams to identify what's working and what isn't.

3. Service user interviews, exploring the difference the service is making to people living with a terminal illness

Learnings from fieldwork are shared in real-time, with a (to-date) 83 row "learning log" being used to document and project manage recommendations for changes to improve service delivery.

Results

The real-time evaluation has helped engender a proactive and reflective attitude to what works in the partnership and Marie Curie more broadly. Evidence from evaluation has led to tangible changes that are made quickly as part of the iterative approach taken to the partnership. More broadly learning on what works in hospital partnership services has influenced other service models in other ICB areas, our central evidence hub on hospital in-reach services, and in how we talk to and influence NHS England about best practise in PEOLC.