Title: Mixed-methods secondary analysis of Bereavement Commission evidence
Funder: Marie Curie

Abstract: Background and Rationale The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a higher number of deaths and subsequent bereavements. Prior to the pandemic bereavement services were already under strain, with long waiting lists and inequalities of access (Wakefield et al. 2020). However the pandemic has added to the difficulties in accessing the appropriate level of support (Harrop et al. 2021). The UK Bereavement Commission has been set up to address these problems including looking at the infrastructure and access to bereavement support and services. Aims and objectives The aim of this project is to contribute to the Bereavement Commission by providing a secondary analysis of infrastructure and access data and contribute to identifying recommendations for policy and practice. To achieve this our objectives will be: 1. Identify themes related to bereavement infrastructure and access to bereavement support. 2. Collaborate with the Commission, stakeholders and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) representatives to identify questions on inequalities of access for further in-depth analysis. 3. Produce an in-depth analysis by cross refencing our thematic findings with the Commission’s demographic data to identify and interpret inequalities with regard to access, effectiveness, satisfaction, and delivery of services. 4. Share our findings with the Commission and disseminate to key stakeholders in policy and bereavement support. Methods We will conduct a secondary analysis of the Commission’s infrastructure and access data using a mixed-methods, three-phase, collaborative interpretive approach. Outputs We will produce a report identifying key themes affecting bereavement support access and infrastructure, which will contribute to the Commission’s recommendations for policy and bereavement services. We will submit a peer-reviewed article identifying inequalities of access, effectiveness, satisfaction, and delivery of bereavement services. Findings will be disseminated within Marie Curie with a webinar for staff. We will also present at conferences and to stakeholders of the Bereavement Commission.

Lay abstract: Bereavement is the experience of grief or loss of someone important to us. Grief affects individuals and cultures in different ways and can involve a period of adjusting and accepting the loss, commemorating the life of the person who passed away, focusing on the future, and celebrating that the individual has moved on to another life. The increased number of deaths due to the Covid-19 pandemic has left many people bereaved. Pre-pandemic, people were more able to use support from family and friends. Since the start of the pandemic, many people have been unable to be present at the time of death of a friend or family member, and together with other negative experiences due to social distancing restrictions, can make coming to terms with the loss more difficult. Many people might benefit from use of bereavement services to get the support and help they need to progress and process their grief. The UK Bereavement Commission has been set up to address these problems and provide recommendations for policy and practice. One area they will look at is that of the experiences of accessing bereavement support, with the aim of having equal bereavement support for all. They will also look at how better to coordinate services, such as providing financial and other practical support and emotional support. The Commission will collect a lot of survey and open text data, but only has a limited time to analyse it to provide their recommendations. We will bring our expertise in analysing surveys and in bereavement studies to provide a further in-depth examination of the topic of access to bereavement support. We will look to identify and examine signs of potential inequalities such as age, ethnicity, and location of care that may affect access to support.

Research activity codes: 8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES;7.2 END OF LIFE CARE
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE