• Jackie Robinson, Hetty Goodwin, Lisa Williams, Natalie Anderson, Jenny Parr, Rebekah Irwin, and Merryn Gott.
• School of Nursing, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Palliat Med. 2022 Dec 1; 36 (10): 152215311522-1531.

BackgroundGreater emphasis on community-based care at the end of life is supported by the premise that most people want to be cared for and die at home. As such, it is important to understand the current state of palliative care nursing within an integrated generalist-specialist model of care in the community.AimTo explore bereaved family perceptions and experiences of community nursing at the end of life, with a particular focus on service integration.DesignA qualitative study design using semi-structured telephone interviews with bereaved family. A critical realist framework was used to inform the analysis of interview data and thematic analysis of data was used to identify key themes.Setting/ParticipantsParticipants were the family carers of patients who had died within the catchment area of two large District Health Boards in Auckland, New Zealand.ResultsTwenty-three participants were interviewed. Participants described their experiences of community nursing in terms of the service they provided. Hospice nursing roles were described in terms of a "talking service" and District Nursing as a "task service." There was minimal expectation of the general practice nurse in terms of palliative care support and little evidence of service integration.ConclusionFindings from this study support the need for a new integrated model of palliative care nursing which utilizes the unique skill set of nurses working across all community care settings including general practice, hospice and district nursing services. Accommodating different models of nursing care which can be responsive to patient need rather than limited to a defined service delivery model.

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