Overview

Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) is a national charity that addresses dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. IHF is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026. As part of its strategic priority in understanding and advocating for what is important to people at end of life IHF wishes to commission an experienced qualitative researcher to undertake further data analysis of existing data from an extensive national survey of bereaved family members and friends - the first National End of Life Survey. This survey asked participants about the care provided to their family member or friend in the last months and days of their life. Specifically, this analysis will explore qualitative responses in relation to the reported experiences of people who presented to an Emergency Department (ED) in their last three months of life, and those of their family members or friends.

Budget: €6,000

Closing date for receipt of proposals: 3rd December 2025

About Irish Hospice Foundation 

Irish Hospice Foundation is a national charity that addresses dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. Our vision is an Ireland where people facing end of life or bereavement, and those who care for them, are provided with the care and support that they need. Our mission is to work towards the best end-of-life and bereavement care for all. Our values are integrity, courage, compassion, respect, and dignity.

About the National End of Life Survey

The National End of Life Survey (NELS) was the first nationwide survey to ask bereaved relatives about the care provided to their loved one in the last months and days of their life. The purpose of the survey was to learn from people’s experiences of end-of-life care to improve the services provided both to people who are dying, and to their loved ones. IHF provided significant financial support for NELS and played a role in developing the survey and disseminating the findings.

The survey was completed by 4,570 bereaved relatives and friends of people who died between September and December 2022. The questionnaire contained 110 questions including:

• 107 quantitative items (structured tick-box questions) including background information and demographics, care received in the last three months of life and care in the final two days of life.
• Three qualitative items including:
  • Overall, what was good about the care your relative or friend received? (n≈3608)
  • Was there anything that could have been improved? (n≈3623)
  • Do you have any other comments or suggestions about the care your relative or friend received? (n≈2456)

Responses vary from single word responses to longer responses of up to 300 words. The researcher(s) will be provided with access to the full dataset for analysis (cleaned Microsoft Excel format).

A detailed report of the findings from the survey has already been produced by the National Care Experience Programme, which is a joint initiative by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health. 

The Alliance of Age Sector NGOs, of which IHF is a member of, have also conducted a further ‘deep dive’ into the quantitative and qualitative data from this survey, producing the Telling It Like It Is 2025 report which explores older people’s experiences at end of life and describes critical areas of importance to older people, and their families, facing death and bereavement.

These reports provide valuable insights into end-of-life care, but there remains an opportunity to delve deeper into qualitative responses, particularly those related to ED admissions and associated experiences. We are especially interested in understanding the transition of care that is delivered at home or in a nursing home, to end-of-life care that is delivered in a hospital setting. For example, data from the NELS shows that 42.5% of people who were being cared for at home three months before their death, subsequently died in hospital, and 20.2% of those cared for in a nursing homes then died in hospital, these cases may offer rich qualitative insights. Previous qualitative data analysis has identified 104 codes which directly address “ED experiences” in response to question 103) Do you have any other comments or suggestions about the care your relative or friend received?

Aim and Objectives 

To explore, inductively, the experiences of people who were admitted to hospital via an ED in their last three months of life, as reported by their family members or friends. This includes understanding how individuals came to be in ED, what constitutes a positive or negative experience of ED for people at end of life, and identifying any gaps or improvements that are needed in this experience. 

While constrained by the available data, we welcome proposals that apply qualitative analysis methods suited to reflexively engaging with the data to uncover common themes in the ED experience, from entry to end point. Although reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) is one option, we are open to other qualitative methods that can effectively engage with the data. The overarching goal is to surface stories and experiences that help us better understand the ED journey for those at end of life.

Quantitative data should also be used to contextualise the qualitative findings, for example, identifying key demographics of the person who was at end of life (e.g., their age, condition, place of care at three months and in their last two days of life) and linking these to key quotes or themes to help paint a fuller picture.

The aim will be achieved through the following objectives:

1. Understand the experiences and the journey of individuals and their families/friends who were admitted to ED in the last three months of life, by:
   1. Identifying common themes in ED experiences, including factors that contribute to positive or negative encounters.
   2. Investigating transitions from home or nursing home to the ED and hospital setting to understand potential patterns or triggers.
2. Identify any gaps or improvements required within the ED experience for people at end of life.

Approach

This will be a collaborative project with the research team in IHF, who will contribute input and engage at key stages of the analysis and delivery process. While the appointed researcher(s) will lead the day-to-day work independently, the IHF team will provide strategic input at agreed milestones to ensure alignment with the overall objectives. This approach is intended to support autonomy in the research process, while allowing for meaningful engagement from IHF where necessary to clarify expectations, guide direction, and ensure the quality and relevance of the outputs.

The key components of this work are outlined below, covering the recommended methods, analytical approach, reporting requirements, and additional considerations related to data sharing and dissemination.

• Methods
  • Recommend a qualitative analysis method appropriate for answering the research aim and objectives.
• Analysis
  • Utilise qualitative data analysis software (to be provided by the appointed researcher(s) to manage the provided data. The full dataset will be supplied in a cleaned Microsoft Excel format.
  • Conduct qualitative analysis of the data in line with the agreed methodology and methods.
• Write up
  • Produce a final report of the study findings, incorporating input and feedback from the IHF research team. The report will include an abstract, contextual background, aims and objectives, methods, results/findings, discussion (including contributions to practice), and suggested recommendations.

Additional considerations:

• Data sharing
  • Provide guidance and timely responses to IHF-generated queries relating to the interpretation of the data both during and on completion of the work.
  • Share the analysed data with IHF in a format that supports the narrative write-up of findings (e.g. an NVivo file with coding structure and any annotations).
• Dissemination
  • IHF is committed to recognising the contributions of all individuals involved in this research. Authorship will follow the criteria set out by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All contributors who meet these criteria will be appropriately credited in any dissemination[SL1]  activities.
  • The final report will remain the property of IHF. It may be edited to align with internal style and formatting guidelines and used for internal publication and strategic purposes.
  • IHF is committed to sharing its research in both academic and non-academic formats to reach a range of expert and non-expert audiences. IHF will retain rights to all dissemination activities, including internal and external publications, presentations and other forms of knowledge sharing. Findings from this research may also contribute to external publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, depending on scope and relevance. 

Deliverables

1. Final report including an abstract, brief contextual introduction/background, aims/objectives, methods, results/findings, discussion and suggested recommendations.
2. Executive summary document, aimed at a non-expert audience, outlining main findings and most relevant messages/learning from the study with a short contextual background and overview of the methods used.
3. Ongoing engagement throughout the report development and final presentation to relevant members of the appointed team in IHF.
4. Provision of the data management and analysis file (e.g. an Nvivo file)

Tender proposals must include: 

• Process/timetable listing key milestones (for reporting progress on the key stages of development) and proposed dates for meeting these
• Methodology and methods to be used – including which data analysis methods and tools will be used
• Detailed budget breakdown, including staff time and costs (inclusive of VAT)
• Breakdown of time allocation
• Identification of any conflicts of interest
• Description of relevant expertise and prior experience of team involved
• Examples of similar work undertaken, where relevant 

• Contact details for two referees, that IHF can contact who have engaged with you for similar/ related work   

Budget

The budget for this work will be a maximum of €6,000 and must include VAT and other associated expenses.

Assessment criteria

In line with IHF procedures, applications will be assessed against the following criteria: 

• Quality of proposed methodology, methods and approach to the work in relation to the outlined objectives
• Expertise of the project team in relation to the proposed methodology
• Relevance of team’s expertise in relation to knowledge about dying, death and bereavement.
• Experience of undertaking similar work
• Overall quality of the proposal
• Cost of the work 

Approach**                 40%

Experience                  40%

Costing                        20%

**Particular consideration will be given to the timeline for the completion of the work.

Timeframe

• The closing date for receipt of tender proposals is 03rd December 2025
• Shortlisted candidates will be notified by 09th December 2025 with interviews held online week commencing 15th December 2025
• It is envisaged that this work will commence in early January 2026 and the final report will be delivered by the end of March 2026.