University of Hull experts welcome £2m funding boost for palliative care research

The NIHR Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care (PRU) supports policymakers with timely, relevant and accessible evidence to improve care standards and address inequalities in access to care.

Initially funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for three years from January 2024 to December 2026, the PRU has now been awarded an extra £2m funding for a further two years until December 2028.

Professor Fliss Murtagh, Director of the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School at the University of Hull and Co-Director of the PRU said: ‘Since its launch the PRU has delivered robust, policy-relevant evidence improving our understanding of how palliative care is delivered and where gaps remain.

‘We know that that our systems are not meeting the needs of a growing older population at the end of their lives. High-quality timely palliative care not only improves quality of life for patients and their families but also reduces pressure on overstretched acute services.

‘We welcome this further investment to ensure that policymakers have the evidence they need to reduce inequalities and end the postcode lottery in access to care so that babies, children and adults – and those close to them – receive the high-quality compassionate support they deserve at the end of their lives.’

To date, the PRU has undertaken a range of projects including:

• understanding costs and cost effectiveness of specialist palliative care,
• better provision of palliative care for people from ethnically diverse communities, and
• roles and contributions of district and community nurses in palliative and end-of-life care,

among others.

The PRU has had a direct impact on government policy; a project on costs of palliative and end of life care was used extensively in the Government’s Impact Assessment for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2025. Furthermore, a project on modelling the health economic implications of specialist palliative care was cited extensively by the Commission on Palliative and End-of-Life Care, in the report of the House of Lords Committee on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, in the report of the National Audit Office on financial sustainability of the hospice sector and in the report of the Public Accounts Committee on hospice funding.

The additional funding will enable the PRU to continue to deliver impactful research aligned with policy priorities. This is especially important in light of the NHS's 10-Year Plan and the Modern Service Framework for Palliative Care and End of Life Care.

The PRU is hosted by King’s College London in collaboration with Hull York Medical School, the University of Hull, Lancaster University, the University of Leeds, and the University of Cambridge.

Find out more about the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care (PRU).

Find out more about the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre.