Palliative care patients are being asked to take part in a survey about their experiences.

The Let's Talk About survey, which is also open to the carers of palliative patients, is the first of its type ever carried out in Ireland.

People with illnesses that may not be cured, such as cancer, dementia and advanced respiratory disease, are being asked to share their experiences of their care - both good and bad. Participants can be from the Republic or Northern Ireland.

This initiative is being led by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC), with support from the HSE and the Public Health Agency in the North.

"The survey is aimed at people living with a serious or progressive medical condition from which they are unlikely to be cured, someone they know or care for, or someone they knew or cared for in the past two years.

"We are looking for people to be honest and specific telling both their good and bad experiences of care. Each story is valuable, but hundreds of stories and more will be powerful," commented AIIHPC director, Paddie Blaney.

According to the AIIHPC, palliative care refers to ‘the medical, social, emotional, spiritual and practical support provided to people with serious or progressive medical conditions'.

This type of care may be provided in the days, weeks, months or years up to the end of life. It has been shown to improve people's quality of life and improve the experiences of families.

The survey will be available until May 31. It is confidential and should take no more than 20 minutes to complete.

It can be completed online here. Alternatively, hard copies are available - call the AIIHPC on (01) 491 2948 or email info@aiihpc.org