The COVID-19 pandemic is placing an unprecedented strain on health care services. Although many people survive, an estimated 1% to 3% of people die from this disease. There are more than 100,000 UK deaths from COVID-19, with numbers still increasing in the UK and beyond. In addition, the conditions of the pandemic, such as lockdown, shielding, social distancing, has placed challenges on care for people with advanced diseases and/or needing palliative care.
The CovPall-Connect Project combines survey data from the original CovPall project with nationally routinely collected data from the four nations of the United Kingdom. This provides an opportunity for national data linkage in ecological analysis, primarily regional, and by setting, of the palliative care response to COVID-19. Findings will boost CovPall project impact, inform national responses, and enhance data assets. Through the National Core Studies (NCS) programme, we will engage more widely with patients and carers, members of the public, and professionals and also invite them to contribute to the wider programme.