Assessing the professional support of the Newcastle palliative care services: Examining rural general practitioners' and community nurses' perceptions and experiences

Dr John Cavanagh, (Staff Specialist, Palliative Medicine, Newcastle Mater Hospital), Dr Jon Adams, Dr Lynne Parkinson

This study will examine rural General Practitioners (GPs) and Community Nurses (CNs) perceptions and experiences of the Newcastle Palliative Care Services (PCS) based at the Newcastle Mater Misercordiae Hospital (NMMH).

This research constitutes the first phase in a larger program of planned research evaluating the PCS and exploring the perceptions of different key stakeholders with regard to the services currently offered both in rural and urban regions. Both this project and the broader research program will lead to recommendations for developing best multi-disciplinary practice regarding the service.

The originality of the proposed project is two-fold: it provides the first in depth exploration of key 'insider' stakeholders' perceptions and experiences of the type of palliative care services developed at Newcastle and it constitutes the first in depth focus upon rural GPs and rural CNs and the service in rural settings and localities.