Terminally ill people and their families were placed at the heart of the development and design of the research in order to:
- gain a deeper insight into the needs of terminally ill people and their non-professional carers, including their practical, physical, emotional and spiritual needs, and the extent to which they are met
- understand experiences across the journey from diagnosis to death
- consider (retrospectively via carers) how the needs of the terminally person (and their own needs) changed over time, and understand the experiences and needs of carers in the immediate period following the death of their loved one.