Families’ Experiences of Social Support in a Community-Based Palliative Care Initiative in Northern Ireland

Growing demand for community-based palliative care presents challenges for health and social care services across the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland, more people want to remain at home during life’s final stages, requiring responsive, personalized support for patients and families. This study explored family experiences of the ‘Life & Time’ initiative, a community-based palliative care service providing overnight nursing support to individuals wishing to die at home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 bereaved family members who received overnight nursing alone or alongside a brief palliative family social work intervention addressing emotional support, preparation for loss, coping and bereavement. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Five themes emerged: Reliably Responsive Care, A Culture of Kindness, Reassurance and Preparation for Loss, Community Matters, and A System Under Pressure. Participants described compassionate, responsive, person-centered care, valuing the service’s local nature and relationships between staff and families. However, there was limited evidence that families distinguished nursing support from the additional social work intervention. Findings highlight the importance of responsive, relationship-based and locally embedded support within community palliative care, while raising questions about how specialist social work contributions are recognized, defined and integrated within multidisciplinary services supporting patients and families at home.