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Operations & systems
How ambulance models shape end-of-life care
Investigating the impact of ambulance service models on paramedic delivery of end-of-life care in England: an exploratory study using case study design
BMC Palliative Care · 2026-08-12 · Added 25 October 2026
Case studies of three English ambulance services found paramedics deliver end-of-life care with learning on the job and patchy access to patient records, anticipatory medicines and palliative advice, with more innovative models (advanced-paramedic anticipatory medicines, an in-service palliative team and palliative care ambulances) improving resources.
- Study type
- Qualitative
- Design
- Embedded qualitative case study of three English ambulance service models, framework analysis
- Participants
- 101 participants (75 healthcare professionals, 26 patients and carers) across 3 services
- Main finding
- Learning on the job and limited access to records, anticipatory medicines and palliative advice dominated practice across all three models; paramedic workload was driven partly by primary and community service shortages
- Caveat
- Exploratory, mainly qualitative case studies; three English services selected for their end-of-life service models, so findings may not transfer to other services
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (High relevance). End-of-life calls are a growing share of ambulance work everywhere, and the gaps it names — no records access, no anticipatory medicines, no one to ring for advice — are the same ones Australian crews describe; the innovative service models are ones our services could copy.
Learning goal
Understand how system design shapes paramedic decision-making in end-of-life care in the Australian context.
More
- Topic: Operations & systems
- Daily scan: 25 October 2026
- Podcast: Paramedic Papers Daily, 25 October 2026
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