Lancaster Professor Catherine Walshe has welcomed an additional £2 million funding for the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care (PRU).

The International Observatory on End-of-Life Care at Lancaster University plays a key role in the PRU which has been awarded funding for two more years until December 2028.

Professor of Palliative Care and Co-Director of the International Observatory on End-of-Life Care Catherine Walshe said: “We are delighted that Lancaster University will continue its contribution to the Palliative and End of Life Care Policy Research Unit for a further two years. This extension reflects the strength and impact of the partnership, and our shared commitment to improving palliative and end-of-life care through high-quality research that informs policy and practice.”

As a partner, staff at Lancaster University have made major contributions to the initial work of the PRU. Professor Catherine Walshe, Professor Nancy Preston, Dr Lesley Dunleavy, Dr Natalie Cotterill and Sam Gould have completed research exploring access to palliative care services for people from ethnically diverse communities. This will help inform national policy and improve care for people approaching the end of life.

The PRU was initially funded for three years from January 2024 to December 2026 to support policy makers to improve care and reduce inequalities for children and adults affected by life-limiting illnesses, and their families and carers, including into bereavement.

As well as delivering a core programme of policy research, the PRU includes a Rapid Response facility providing policymakers with timely, relevant and accessible evidence to improve palliative and end-of-life care.

To date, the PRU has undertaken three core projects and ten rapid response projects, from understanding costs and cost effectiveness of specialist palliative care, better provision of palliative care for people from ethnically diverse communities to roles and contributions of district and community nurses in palliative and end-of-life care.

A particular focus of the PRU has been on palliative and end-of-life care for babies, children and young people. This has included studies of shared decision-making in the care of critically ill children, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of specialist palliative care and the use of primary and secondary care during the last year of life.

The PRU has also had the opportunity to have a direct impact on government policy; a project on costs of palliative and end of life care was used extensively in the Government’s Impact Assessment for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2025. Furthermore, a project on modelling the health economic implications of specialist palliative care was cited extensively by the Commission on Palliative and End-of-Life Care, in the report of the House of Lords Committee on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, in the report of the National Audit Office on financial sustainability of the hospice sector and in the report of the Public Accounts Committee on hospice funding.

The additional funding will enable the PRU to continue to deliver impactful research aligned with policy priorities. This is especially important in light of the NHS's 10-Year Plan and the Modern Service Framework for Palliative Care and End of Life Care.

The PRU is hosted by King’s College London in collaboration with, Lancaster University, the University of Leeds, the University of Hull and the University of Cambridge