An Evaluation of the End-of-Life Programme

Abstract

This executive summary will explain the remit of the evaluation undertaken and its associated methods; review some of the key findings and recommendations that emerged; and explain what the reader will find in the report’s subsequent chapters. There has been significant expansion in palliative care services in Ireland over the last 25 years, although gaps in provision remain (Irish Hospice Foundation, 2006). The Atlantic Philanthropies entered the field of hospice and palliative care in Ireland in 2004. The first project supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies was a baseline study of actual specialist palliative care (SPC) provision, as compared to that detailed by official government policy (Irish Hospice Foundation, 2006). The Atlantic Philanthropies issued a further 14 grants, totalling approximately €25 million, in an initiative called the ‘End of Life’ programme (Appendix 1). The earliest ‘End of Life’ project began in 2004 and the latest is scheduled to continue until at least 2014. The programme encompasses both specialist and generalist palliative care service development, and sought to reach patients and their families across care settings and irrespective of diagnosis. This report presents the findings of a five-phased evaluation of the programme, which assessed the progress and impact of the programme to date, and the strategic learning for the field. This assessment considered both the context of historical and contemporary development of hospice and palliative care across Ireland, and a changing economic and policy landscape. Note that, throughout the report, the terms ‘End of Life’ programme and Hospice and Palliative Care programme are used interchangeably.