SPACE (Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care)

SPACE (Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care) is a multidisciplinary research theme focused on identifying and addressing the supportive, palliative, and end of life care needs of adults, as well as the needs of those who provide care and support.

About the theme

Death affects us all. As people live longer — often with multiple long-term health conditions - the demand for high-quality and accessible supportive, palliative and end of life care is increasing. The SPACE research theme brings together healthcare professionals and academics with a shared commitment to improving care experiences and outcomes in these contexts.

Our research is grounded in lived experience and aims to be responsive to the needs of people living with long-term conditions, with life-limiting illnesses, and when they are approaching, or at, end of life. We are also interested in addressing the needs and concerns of the formal and informal caregivers who provide support.

Who we are

SPACE is an interdisciplinary community of researchers and practitioners from fields including:

• clinical research
• nursing
• occupational therapy
• architecture
• health psychology
• linguistics
• product design
• pharmacy

Some of our projects focus on specific conditions such as cancer or respiratory diseases, others have been more general, for example capturing public perspectives on conversations about death and dying. We welcome diverse perspectives and actively encourage collaboration across disciplines.

What we do

We meet bi-monthly to:

• share research findings and project experiences
• reflect on challenges and successes
• generate new research ideas
• explore research funding and dissemination opportunities
• support career development.

We maintain strong links with national initiatives such as the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) Programme and the NIHR Palliative and End of Life Care Research Incubator.

Research focus

Our work is underpinned by collaborative, patient-centred, and ethically rigorous methodologies that:

• centre the lived experiences of patients, families, and caregivers
• challenge traditional research boundaries
• prioritise equity and inclusion
• integrate interdisciplinary perspectives.

We aim to:

• conduct high-quality clinical research and evaluation in supportive, palliative, and end of life care
• collaborate with patients, families, and professionals across care systems
• engage stakeholders throughout the research process to maximise the range and impact of our research
• build research capacity and support career development in our field.

Projects

Recent and ongoing projects include:

• Exploring patient and healthcare professional understanding and perspectives of palliative care, and its potential applications to help people live well with inflammatory arthritis.
• Development and refinement of patient care recommendations in brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer.
• Development of an online platform to connect people with community organisations offering health and care support.
• Stakeholder engagement to investigate current perspectives on cancer-related chronic pain interventions.
• Psychological interventions for emotional wellbeing in people with advanced progressive life limiting illness.
• Identifying the training and support needs of Clinical Nurse Specialists who work with people with Blood Cancer.
• Identifying how to improve the therapy-led management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Theme Lead

Dr Alison Llewellyn, Associate Professor - Clinical Research