Drs Lesey Wye and Sarah Purdy have been commissioned by Marie Curie to undertake an evaluation of their work in Somerset.

A key objective of Marie Curie Cancer Care is helping patients to die in their place of choice. Marie Curie Delivering Choice teams work in close collaboration with local stakeholders such as social services, hospices and the NHS to re-design local services. The Somerset Delivering Choice Programme has been running since June 2008 and has led to the appointment of discharge in-reach nurses, key workers, a co-ordination centre, a single point of access for referrals and improved information for staff via a website.

The Somerset evaluation consists of two parts. In the first phase, researchers will collect routine data via NHS numbers to identify who is using Delivering Choice services. Using a realist evaluation model, in the second phase they will explore the context and mechanisms that lead patients to choosing Delivering Choice services.