North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is inviting members of the public to take part in a new research study exploring the experiences of families following the death of a loved one outside hospital.
When someone dies unexpectedly, either at home or in a public place, ambulance clinicians are often the first to deliver both emergency care and emotional support.
A new research study aims to explore how families perceive that support and what they found helpful or what could have been done differently, with a view to improving how the service supports grieving families in future.
Research paramedic Owen Finney is leading on the study as part of his master’s degree in clinical research at Newcastle University funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria.
He said: “Ambulance crews attend more than 400,000 incidents every year. However, sadly, due to the nature of some of those incidents, some patients pass away despite the best efforts of everyone involved.
“Caring for the person who is with that patient when they die – whether that’s a family member or friend – is a really important part of the care we provide as paramedics; it’s an incredibly distressing time for that person and we want to support them as best we can.
“However, there’s very little research about what people want from us at that point. We have an idea of what we do, but we want to see if what we’re doing is working. We’re seeking to ask people who have experienced a bereavement in these circumstances what was important to them during that time, what worked well and if anything could have been better.
“Every paramedic has different ways of breaking bad news and every circumstance is obviously different in the way you approach it as a paramedic – I’ve been a paramedic for nearly eight years and every time I’ve broken bad news it’s been different. However, I’m interested to see if there any common themes that might inform future training.”
Andrew Hodge, Director of Paramedicine at NEAS, added: “Losing a loved one is an incredibly painful experience, and we recognise the lasting impact those first moments can have on a family.
“This study is an important opportunity to understand bereavement care from the perspective of those who experience it first‑hand. The insights we gain will play a crucial role in shaping future training and informing how our clinicians support families during the most difficult moments. We are committed to learning, improving and ensuring that every interaction reflects the care and compassion our communities deserve.
“We are grateful to anyone who feels able to share their experience and help us strengthen the support we provide to families across the North East.”
The study is open to anyone in the North East who has lost a loved one whilst receiving care from the ambulance service over the last two years. This includes incidents where the patient has died at the scene – either at home or in a public place – or shortly after being transported to hospital.
Participants will be interviewed either online via Microsoft Teams or in person at a local ambulance service site. The interviews will explore the person’s experiences and what they felt was helpful or could have been done differently.
Each interview will last between 30 and 60 minutes, and all responses will be anonymised to protect participants’ privacy.
Participation is voluntary, and people can withdraw at any point up to 24 hours after the interview.
If you would like more information, or wish to take part, please email:
owen.finney@neas.nhs.uk
Here's Owen explaining more about the study: