The CECo narrative team leads on the research theme: 'Narratives of cancer and life threatening illness'. We are based in the International Observatory on End of Life Care, Institute for Health Research at Lancaster University.

Narratives have much to teach us about living with illness, suffering and experiences of care. We support the development of collaborative research designed to uncover and explore narratives in illness and palliative care contexts that can inform practice and policy. We aim to contribute to the growing body of 'illness narratives' research which supports the value of this kind of approach in exploring the lived experience of people with illness, their carers and healthcare professionals involved in their treatment and support.

Building on existing evidence of the potential benefits of narrative research in palliative and supportive care, the CECo narrative theme aims to draw upon this knowledge; support the development of narrative research skills; and encourage a wider use of these methods in the field.