Out-of-hours community palliative care: a national survey of hospice providers

Community-based palliative out-of-hours services operate outside normal working hours. However, little is known about the provision and delivery of such care. The aim of this study was to describe types of provision and delivery of out-of-hours palliative care services provided by UK hospices. Survey questionnaires were emailed to 150 adult hospices in the UK. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and qualitative data subjected to thematic analysis. Responding hospices ( =57) provided the following types of support: telephone advice 72% ( =41); care at home 70% ( =40); and rapid response 35% ( =20). There were variations between services regarding referral mechanisms, availability and workforce, and integration with statutory services was limited. Variation in the type of provision and delivery of out-of-hours palliative care services alongside limited integration with statutory care have contributed to inequity of access to community-based palliative care, and potentially suboptimal patient and informal caregiver outcomes.