Can national surveys be funded successfully from local NHS resources? Evidence from the Regional Study of Care for the Dying.

In the current economic climate, obtaining funding for large-scale national health services research surveys can be very difficult. In this paper we describe how the funding for a national survey, in which a random sample of 3696 bereaved relatives were interviewed, was obtained through collaboration with health regions and districts, and we consider the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. Although researchers considering using joint funding with the NHS may have to make compromises between ideal study design and what is feasible given local needs and the geographical spread of participating districts or NHS units, we conclude that collaboration can benefit both parties.