People living in areas of rural deprivation are underserved by palliative care

Findings from the Te Whakahekenga project, funded by the HRC, provide new insights regarding inequities in palliative care provision at the end of life. A paper published in the journal Palliative Care and Social Practice highlights how areas of high deprivation were found to be underserved by both specialist and generalist palliative care services when compared with more affluent areas. Rurality amplified these inequities. Of note, we found that people living in rural areas of deprivation were less likely to receive a hospital or inpatient hospice admission in the last year of life compared to people living in major urban areas. They were also less likely to have contact with their general practitioner or experience a specialist outpatient clinic appointment.

This is the first study to consider the impact of deprivation and urban accessibility on health service use in the last year of life. By collating data from multiple health services including hospital, hospice, community and general practice, our findings provide a comprehensive overview of the impact that deprivation and urban accessibility have on service use in palliative care. Some of our initial findings can also be read in the Underserved Communities in Palliative Care report.

Stella Black, Jackie Robinson and Merryn Gott from the Te Whakahekenga research team