International Observatory on End of Life Care (IOELC)

Welcome to the International Observatory on End of Life Care. We aim to conduct high quality cutting edge research and provide innovative educational programmes to improve palliative and end of life care for patients and family carers.

Research Introduction
Study with us
Network and People
Resources and publications

Our research

Excellent research: patient and carer focused research drawing from clinical and social science perspectives to contribute to end of life care knowledge, theory and practice.

Innovative education to prepare and inspire future leaders in palliative care research and practice.

Partnership for impact: working closely with local, national and international health and social care communities to create practical and academic impacts from our research and education.

Our research at the International Observatory on End of Life Care focuses on the following areas:

  • Care settings: exploring the impact of providing palliative and end of life care in settings such as nursing homes, community settings and prisons.
  • Models of palliative and supportive care provision: understanding how best to provide palliative and end of life care by exploring areas such as integrated service models, advance care planning and the use of volunteers.
  • Populations receiving palliative and supportive care: understanding the needs of older people and the ageing agenda, family carers, and those with non – malignant conditions such as dementia or stroke.
  • Clinical research: understanding how to improve a range of physical and psychosocial symptoms.
  • Research methods: improving how palliative care research is conducted through exploring issues such as study recruitment, evaluating complex interventions and ways of working with vulnerable and dying populations.
Graphic used with all IOELC marketing media

International research

Professor Sheila Payne talks about the International Observatory on End of Life Care's role in global research.

Using sedation at the end of life – information for healthcare staff

An international study of palliative sedation is empowering patients and families to make better informed choices at the end of life. Part of the project team within the Observatory has produced this short animation giving information for healthcare staff.

Using sedation at the end of life – information for patients

An international study of palliative sedation is empowering patients and families to make better informed choices at the end of life. Part of the project team within the Observatory has produced this short animation giving information for patients and families.

ACP Support – Online training in Advance Care Planning

Introducing our new online training resource in Advanced Care Planning (ACP) for Health Care Staff. The training is split into short units addressing such matters as key issues and principles of ACP; how to hold ACP conversations and ACP in emergency situations. Watch Professor Nancy Preston’s short video from the resource for an introduction and taster, available from the link below.

ACP Support Website
A screenshot of the ACP Support Staff Training units webpage

Introducing Namaste Care

This animation and companion booklet introduces how to plan and deliver Namaste Care in nursing home contexts, based on an NIHR HTA funded study led from IOELC

Read more

Current and Past Projects

Early Career Researcher (ECR) workshop on the theme ‘Inequality and Marginalisation: Multidisciplinary Perspectives from African Researchers”.
01/11/2024 → 31/03/2025
Research

Decolonising palliative care: exploring British Muslims perspectives on End-of-Life Care in the UK, a qualitative study 2024-2027.
04/10/2024 → 30/09/2027
Research

Advancing Palliative Care in Ghana: Development of a National Policy through Collaborative Partnerships.
02/09/2024 → 31/03/2026
Research

Developing and refining a virtual reality intervention that will help to manage pain for people living with advanced cancer
01/06/2024 → 31/08/2025
Research

Understanding Oncology Patients Preferences for Advance Care Planning
01/01/2024 → 31/12/2024
Research

Palliative Care, Design and Technology
01/04/2023 → 31/03/2024
Research

Death Cafe and Exhibition
23/03/2023 → 05/05/2023
Other

International Research and Engagement visit to Ghana
21/03/2023 → 29/03/2023
Consultancy

DSI: Horizon Europe: 4D PICTURE: Design-based Data-Driven Decision-support Tools: Producing Improved Cancer Outcomes Through User- Centred Research
01/10/2022 → 30/09/2027
Research

Horizon Europe: Pal-CYCLES: PALliative Care Yields Cancer welLbEing Support
01/09/2022 → 31/08/2027
Research

Mapping illness trajectories for people with advanced cancer receiving immunotherapy treatment: a mixed methods study to identify something about need and health service input?
01/04/2022 → 31/03/2025
Research

Development of ‘use-cases’ for a digital palliative care bereavement service.
01/03/2022 → 31/08/2022
Research

Developing palliative and end-of-life care research partnerships and capacity in the North West Coast of England
01/01/2022 → 30/06/2023
Research

Migration Motivation and Transition Experiences of African Migrant Nurses Working in Europe, Americas, and Australasia: A Mixed-Method Study
01/07/2021 → 30/09/2023
Research

How can technology be used to support communication in palliative care beyond the COVID-19 pandemic?
01/01/2021 → 30/06/2021
Research

DSI : Covid : Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on care home pathways, outcomes and safety of care
20/08/2020 → 19/08/2021
Research

Rapid evaluation of the COVID-19 pandemic response by palliative and end of life care: national delivery, workforce and symptom management (CovPall)
20/04/2020 → 19/04/2021
Research

Revision of the European Association for Palliative Care Recommended Norms and Standards in Palliative Care for Europe: a Delphi study
01/02/2020 → 31/01/2021
Research

Local Principal Investigator for Clinical Research Projects
01/04/2019 → …
Research

Local Principal Investigator on clinical studies
01/04/2019 → 30/01/2023
Research

H2020 : MyPal: Fostering Palliative Care of Adults and Children with Cancer through Advanced Patient Reported Outcome Systems
01/01/2019 → 31/12/2022
Research

MyPal: Fostering Palliative Care of Adults and Children with Cancer through Advanced Patient Reported Outcome Systems
01/01/2019 → 30/06/2022
Research

The use of proportional palliative sedation for the relief of refractory symptoms: an international multicenter study
01/01/2019 → 30/06/2024
Research

MOOC Palliative Care: Making it Work
02/07/2018 → 28/07/2018
Other

Tender: To evaluate the Age UK End of Life Pathfinder
09/10/2017 → 31/03/2019
Research

NIHR School for Primary Care Research (Oxford, Bristol and Cambridge): Establishing research priorities to improve the management of patients with advanced heart failure using the James Lind Alliance method £91,859
01/10/2017 → 01/04/2019
Research

The Namaste Care intervention to improve the quality of dying for people with advanced dementia living in care homes: A realist review and feasibility study for a cluster randomised controlled trial
01/12/2016 → 31/03/2019
Research

Using participatory action research to advance hospice care
01/11/2016 → 31/03/2019
Research

Peer support to maintain psychological wellbeing in people with advanced cancer: A feasibility study for a Randomised Controlled Trial.
05/10/2015 → 04/10/2018
Research

Evaluation End of Life EoL Social Action Fund
06/11/2014 → 30/06/2016
Research

The spatial and social dynamics of public of public inclusion for people with dementia
01/10/2014 → 30/09/2017
Research

Connections of Workplace Cultures, Patient Safety and Dignity
01/08/2014 → 19/12/2014
Other

PACE: Comparing the Effectiveness of Palliative Care for Elderly People in Long Term Care Facilities in Europe
01/02/2014 → 31/01/2019
Research

ACTION: A multi-centre cluster randomised controlled trial of advance care planning - an innovative Palliative Care Intervention to Improve Quality of Life in Oncology (European Union FP7)
01/12/2013 → 31/12/2017
Other

Both sides of the fence: using action research to improve end of life care for prisoners
01/06/2013 → 31/05/2016
Research

Patient-centered integrated palliative care pathways in advanced cancer and chronic disease
01/11/2012 → 31/10/2016
Research

Metaphor in End of Life Care
01/09/2012 → 28/06/2014
Research

How can and should UK society adjust to dementia
01/03/2012 → 30/04/2012
Research

Disability, Rights and Welfare: Rurality, Gender and Ethnicity
01/11/2011 → 01/03/2012
Research

Unpacking The Home
01/06/2011 → 31/05/2013
Research

European Intersectorial and Multidisciplinary Palliative Care Research Training
01/04/2011 → 31/03/2014
Other

FP7: ATOME
01/12/2009 → 30/11/2014
Research

Measuring and demonstating the impact of user involvement on health and social care services for cancer in the UK
01/03/2008 → 30/11/2008
Research

What are the views of people affected by cancer and other illnesses about end of life issues? carer perspectives.
01/08/2005 → 30/09/2005
Research

What are the views of people affected by cancer and other illnesses about end of life issues? professional and patient perspectives.
01/08/2004 → 31/01/2005
Research

Social Implications of the Increase in Wheelchair Use
01/04/2001 → 30/09/2004
Other

Sickness Absence and employee behaviour
01/01/1999 → 01/01/2001
Research

An exploration of the practical application of the Western palliative care model in the African context, and the viability of culturally appropriate “compassionate communities” model of care.
01/01/1900 → …
Other

Enhancing integration of cancer and palliative care hospital services to meet the palliative care needs of patients with cancer
01/01/1900 → …
Other

Immunotherapy and Palliative Care Trajectories (IMPACT): a mixed methods study mapping illness trajectories for people with advanced cancer receiving immunotherapy treatment to identify palliative care need.
01/01/1900 → …
Research

Research stakeholder engagement as a strategy to understand and promote improve palliative care service delivery in Ghana through a theory of change.
01/01/1900 → …
Research

The use of the Western palliative model in managing patients in resource-poor settings; the challenges and way forward for Ghana.
01/01/1900 → …
Other

Study with us

The International Observatory on End of Life Care offers advanced and innovative education programmes in palliative and end of life care. Our programmes are specifically designed to meet local and global needs, and facilitate learning between those working in different cultures and contexts. Programmes are designed to address the needs of both full and part time students, and many of our students work in the field of palliative and end of life care whilst also completing their studies.

Traditional PhD (by research and thesis) in Health Research

We offer supervision of research students in many areas of health-related social science. We welcome applications from students wishing to pursue research in the areas of palliative and end of life care highlighted as the focus of our research interests. We are particularly interested in supporting applications for those applying for externally funded fellowships.

PhD in Health Research

PhD in Palliative Care

The aim of this innovative part time blended learning course is to equip people working in palliative, hospice and end of life care to undertake advanced study within their chosen field, including clinical work, education, research, management, policy and advocacy.

PhD in Palliative Care

Future Events

Events listed on this page are hosted either by us or in association with one or more of our partners. These include our regular Research Seminars, public lectures and student-focused webinars. Where possible, events will be in-person but with an option to join online. If you would like to be the first to hear about our future seminars, consider joining our IOELC Research Network.

15th Jan

Webinar - so you want to do a PhD?

Wednesday 15 January 2025, 12:00pm to 1:00pm
20th Jan

Getting involved in research: collaboration and co-operation in palliative care research across NW

Monday 20 January 2025, 10:00am to 3:30pm

More Events

Dr Naveen Salins with the Chancellor the Rt Hon Alan Milburn

Alumni award for palliative care expert

Lancaster postgraduate Naveen Salins has received an Alumni Award at the December graduation ceremonies.
Placeholder Image

Call for papers - Palliative sedation

Linked to work undertaken by Professors Nancy Preston and Shiela Payne for an EU project on the subject of Palliative Sedation, a Call for papers for a Collection has recently been launched by BMC Palliative Care.
care home

Emotional toll on UK care home staff during COVID-19 pandemic

The challenges faced by care home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies they used to cope are the topic of research led by Lancaster University.
Professor Nancy Preston giving evidence online

Lancaster Professor advises Irish parliament on assisted dying

Professor Nancy Preston from Lancaster University has given evidence before the Irish Parliament’s Joint Committee on Assisted Dying.
in touch

How to care for people with advanced dementia

Lancaster University is helping to evaluate a promising intervention to improve the lives of people with dementia as part of a European wide study called IN-TOUCH.
Many people with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are admitted to hospital

Lancaster awarded almost a million euros for research to improve palliative care

Two Lancaster Professors are involved in a European project to evaluate an intervention which has led to fewer hospital admissions for people with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

More News

IOELC Research Network

The Observatory is proud to have links with over 520 individuals from around the globe, who have wide-ranging experiences in end of life care and have expressed an interest in our research and education activities. Known as the IOELC Research Network, membership of this group is purely voluntary and we encourage you to sign up to our mailing list, which is used to notify members of forthcoming research seminars/lectures, news updates from the Observatory and when additional resources, (like recorded seminar presentations), are available to view online or download.

Whether you have an interest in attending our research seminars either in person or online or you simply want to catch up on Observatory news and other events, we hope that this list membership will continue to be a rich source of information. At any time, you are free to unsubscribe from this list but we do hope that you will stay with us. We look forward to welcoming you to our network.

Please complete our membership form, providing your name, the email address you would prefer to be used for the email list, and your institution (if applicable).

Staff and Honorary Staff Members

Loading People

Contact us

Catherine Walshe
Co-Director

Tel: (0)1524 510124
Email: c.walshe@lancaster.ac.uk

Nancy Preston
Co-Director

Tel: (0)1524 592802
Email: n.j.preston@lancaster.ac.uk

Anthony Greenwood
Information Officer

Email: a.j.greenwood@lancaster.ac.uk

Address:

International Observatory on End of Life Care
Division of Health Research
Faculty of Health and Medicine
Health Innovation One
Sir John Fisher Drive
Lancaster University
Lancaster
LA1 4AT
United Kingdom

Explore our archive

Resources

A collection of Research Network seminar resources to watch, read and download.

Explore the archive

Publications

A list of our publications from 1995 to present.

IOELC Publications