A Lancaster academic will be at the forefront of research into palliative care and bereavement support, as the University joins with a national charity.
Dr Maddy French has taken up a new post as Senior Research Fellow in a partnership between Lancaster University's International Observatory on End-of-Life Care and Sue Ryder - a palliative care and bereavement charity.
The role is designed to help improve palliative care and bereavement support for people and their families, and represents a strong commitment from Lancaster University and Sue Ryder to contribute to an underfunded area of healthcare.
Dr French will be based in the Division of Health Research, in collaboration with the charity, in a three-year project. Her research will help to highlight the changes that are needed to improve palliative and end-of-life care and bereavement support around the UK and internationally, and will support Sue Ryder's key aim to ensure no one faces death or grief alone.
Dr French, who previously worked as a Lecturer in Palliative Care at Lancaster University, said: "I'm very excited to begin this new role working on research with Sue Ryder. It is a really interesting time to be in palliative care research. There is lots of work to be done to improve services, making sure they are accessible and meeting the needs of everyone no matter their background or circumstances. My previous research at Lancaster University has looked at the equity of access to hospice and other palliative care services. Working with Sue Ryder is an opportunity to expand and develop this area and I'm looking forward to getting started."
Professor Nancy Preston, Co-Director of the International Observatory on End-of-Life Care, said: "The International Observatory on End-of-Life Care is committed to ensuring research is done in partnership with those who deliver services and those who can benefit from them. We are currently involved in a number of national and international research projects, including on improving transitions in care for patients with cancer, trialling palliative care interventions for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and developing partnership and capacity for research in the UK palliative care sector. Our partnership with Sue Ryder is an opportunity to work closely with a leading provider of palliative and end-of-life care to develop research projects that can have a substantial impact on staff, patients, and families."
Dr Paul Perkins, Chief Medical Director at Sue Ryder, said: "At Sue Ryder we care for people with life threatening and terminal illnesses in their own homes and within our seven hospices. Additionally, we support thousands more through our grief support. As one of the biggest providers of palliative and end-of-life care in the UK, we have a network of expertise that can help further the understanding of what good palliative care and grief support are and how to reach more people who need it.
"By creating this new role, we will be able to take that to a new level and embed evidence-based research to improve the care and support we provide but also to improve how this care is delivered by all providers. It is an exciting new step for Sue Ryder but also a vital one. Around 90 per cent of people who die need palliative care, but this area of healthcare research is underfunded. We feel a responsibility to do our bit to change this and look forward to working with Lancaster University - an internationally renowned leader in palliative care research - on studies that makes sure no one faces death or grief alone."
