Marie Curie and Leeds Hospitals Charity announce £300,000 funding to improve end of life care

Marie Curie, the UK's leading end of life charity, has launched a new £300,000 funding partnership with Leeds Hospitals Charity to fund research into improving palliative and end of life care experiences in hospital.

Previous Marie Curie research has identified that of all the people who die in England and Wales each year, over a third die in hospital1. The majority of these people don't want or need to be there; just 6% of people expressed preference to die in hospital in 20242.

In Leeds, approximately 3000 adult patients die in hospital each year, which is just less than 50% of all adult deaths in the region. However, key gaps remain in understanding the quality of the palliative care delivered in hospitals and how to improve it.

Dr Sabine Best, Associate Director Research Management and Impact at Marie Curie, said: "Research that specifically looks into end of life care in hospitals is an area which has been overlooked too often and for far too long. Especially given the vast numbers of people dying in hospital, or visiting a hospital in their final months of life.

"This research call shows our commitment to improving the quality of palliative care in hospital – whether this means enabling people a good death in hospital or supporting patients to be discharged with dignity and care."

The partnership is part of the wider Marie Curie Research Grants Scheme, with applications now open and total funds available of £900,000 specifically for research aiming to improve quality of care, and discharge, for people with palliative and end of life care needs in hospital.

Within the £900,000 funding, £300,000 (a joint fund from Leeds Hospitals Charity and Marie Curie of £150k each) is available for research at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

Additionally, £200,000 of the funding (a joint fund from Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals charity and Marie Curie) will be allocated to research focusing on improving end of life experiences for people with heart or lung disease in hospital.

Rebecca Baldaro-Booth, Director of Grants and Impact at Leeds Hospitals Charity said: "Leeds Teaching Hospitals already do a brilliant job in caring for patients at the end of their life. We hope this research will identify ways we can make it even better, providing more support for patients, and their families, at a very difficult time.

"Marie Curie's approach aligns with our values and together we can transform outcomes for patients and families in Leeds."

Applications for researchers will be open until the 21st July 2025. For more information, please visit https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/research-and-policy/research/research-grants-scheme-hospitals

ENDS

Notes to editor

For further information please contact:

Anna.Pears@mariecurie.org.uk or Marie Curie Press Office: media@mariecurie.org.uk / 0845 073 8699.

Please note, Marie Curie is not a cancer charity but the UK's leading 'end of life charity'. We care for people with any illness they are likely to die from including Alzheimer's (and other forms of dementia), heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's, and advanced cancer.

References:

1 Better End of Life 2024 - Time to care: Findings from a nationally representative survey of experiences at the end of life in England and Wales, Marie Curie, Sep 2024, https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/globalassets/media/documents/policy/beol-reports-2024/beol-2024-time-to-carereport.pdf

2 Public attitudes to death, dying and bereavement in the UK re-visited: 2023 survey, Marie Curie, October 2024, https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/globalassets/media/documents/policy/policypublications/2024/n401_padd_report_final.pdf

About Marie Curie

Marie Curie is the UK's leading end of life charity and largest charitable funder of palliative and end of life care research. The charity provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for their family and friends, in our hospices and where they live. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK, and campaigns to ensure everyone has a good end of life experience. Whatever the illness, we're with you to the end.

About Leeds Hospitals Charity

Leeds Hospitals Charity champions, supports, and gives thanks to the NHS. We do this by funding life-saving equipment, treatments, research and home comforts – whatever will make the biggest impact to the people who need it most.

Our vision is for Leeds Teaching Hospitals to be the best hospital, in the healthiest city in the UK. We exist to support NHS staff across all eight of the Trust's hospital sites, helping them to deliver first-class care for over a million patients and their families each year.