Table 1

The planned timescale

	Months	Research activity
Phase 1	1–6	▸ Establish a research advisory group ▸ Plan allocation of resources for staff and equipments ▸ Submit protocol to the North West Research Ethics Committee ▸ Submit protocol for NHS R&D approvals
Phase 2	4–18	▸ Start recruitment at both sites (staggered start dates) ▸ Data collection ▸ Initial interview data analysis
Phase 3	17–30	▸ Complete interview data analysis ▸ Hold focus groups with patients and carers to consider findings in order to identify the basis for potential interventions ▸ Finalise data analysis following focus groups ▸ Write final report for the funder ▸ Develop publications and presentations for dissemination of findings