On 30 March 2026, CPE, in collaboration with European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) and with the support of the INSPIRE Consortium, organised the INSPIRE Online Workshop “Strengthening Patient Participation in Palliative Rehabilitation Research”. The workshop is part of the INSPIRE project that explores integrated, short‑term rehabilitative palliative care to people living with incurable cancer, delivered alongside their usual care.
The workshop focused on amplifying the voices of patients living with cancer by exploring their priorities and expectations regarding palliative rehabilitation during cancer treatment.
Moderated by Josephine Mosset, CPE Senior Policy Officer, the workshop featured contributions from Dr. Joanne Bayly, INSPIRE Scientific Manager at King’s College London, who introduced the project and later contributed to the session on patient priorities. Prof. Mathew Maddocks, INSPIRE Scientific Coordinator and Professor of Health Services Research and Rehabilitation at King’s College London, presented preliminary findings from the project. A dedicated segment on patients’ priorities in palliative rehabilitative care included insights from patient advocates Christine Campbell, Katell Maguet, and David Chuter, alongside Dr. Cathy Payne, Research and Project Manager at the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). Their contributions brought valuable lived experience, offering insights into the gaps between patient needs and the rehabilitation services currently available, highlighting areas where care can be better aligned with real-life experiences.
A key message was the urgent need to rethink how palliative care is communicated. Patient advocates pointed out that the term is still widely associated with end-of-life care, which can create fear and misunderstanding. Instead, there was strong agreement that palliative care should be framed around living well with illness, focusing on quality of life, functionality, and wellbeing. The discussion emphasised that everyone in the healthcare community has a role to play in reshaping this narrative. Patient advocates also highlighted structural challenges in access to care, calling for increased funding in palliative rehabilitative care services, and raising concerns about long waiting lists to access them. These barriers underline the need for more timely and equitable access to supportive care.
Across all sessions, patient involvement remained a central priority. The workshop reinforced that engaging patients meaningfully in research and service design is essential to ensure that care pathways truly reflect their needs, preferences, and lived experiences. This aligns with CPE’s commitment in strengthening patients’ participation and ensuring that patients’ voice is integrated into policy, research and care services.
Key insights of the workshop will shape the discussions at the INSPIRE Final Event in Prague on 16 May 2026 (registrations are still open).
