Table 2. Characteristics of the study site/participants.

Two teams from the hospice participated: the Community Specialist Team (CST) and the Hospice at Home (H@H) team. These teams were based in a rural setting and collectively received around 100 referrals each month, the majority of whom were seen by the CST in the first instance. The average length of time patients spent on the caseload was 6 months, the H@H primarily providing respite care over the last few weeks of life. The CST comprised 18 Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) plus one staff nurse; the H@H team had three nursing sisters and 15 HCAs. There was a single service manager for both teams. The 18 qualified nurses who participated in the study had been in post between 20 months and 12 years; 7 were educated to degree/diploma level. One HCA had been in post for 2 years and one for 8 years; both had received NVQ training. All participants were women