Implications for practice and research

• Primary care service providers should consider improving education, interprofessional communication and re-organising care pathways by minimising bureaucratic processes, in order to provide quality, holistic palliative care services.

• Future research should focus on understanding these issues within the context of care provision using qualitative methods, which would allow us to understand better how new models of care might be best implemented.

Context

Palliative care is an important part of healthcare services and is often provided in specialised settings, such as hospices, as well as hospital and other community settings. However, similar to other areas of healthcare, palliative care services are experiencing increased pressures to provide high-quality care to a growing patient population. These pressures have …