Palliative care services for ethnic groups in Leicester

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Abstract
The objectives of this study were to examine current palliative care service provision and its use by the black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in Leicester.* The study comprised two stages, an initial pilot study using semistructured tape recorded interviews, followed by a structured interview schedule. It was set in the voluntary sector, a local hospice and one trust hospital in Leicester. The subjects were 33 palliative care patients and carers from BME groups. The findings identify some deficiencies in access to and provision of palliative care services to BME communities in the city of Leicester. There appears to be a low level of satisfaction among the sample. There are also differences within the group, with 50% indicating that things are unsatisfactory. The main area of need identified was information about illness and available services. The study concluded that providers of palliative care need to examine their policy and practices with regards to whether they are acceptable, accessible and culturally sensitive to the needs of BME groups. A low uptake of services is more likely to suggest inappropriate provision rather than lack of need. An extended version of this article appears in Richardson and Wilson Barnett (1995). *The term black and minority ethnic (BME) group has been used to refer to people from racial or other minorities who may be disadvantaged because of their racial bakground. There is no single accepted term, nor one that can be seen as politically correct or incorrect. It should, however, be recognised that there may be some people who do not identify themselves as black or a minority but who share a common experience of racism (Anthias, 1992; Cole, 1993).