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End of Life Care Strategy

Health Secretary Alan Johnson launched the End of Life Care Strategy on the 16 July 2008, backed with £286million to provide high quality care for all adults approaching the end of their life in England. Its aim is to provide people approaching the end of life with more choice about where they would like to live and die. It encompasses all adults with advanced, progressive illness and care given in all settings. The strategy has been developed by an expert advisory board chaired by Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, and including key stakeholders from statutory health, social care, third sector organisations, professional and academic organisations. The strategy has been informed and shaped by the work on end of life care undertaken by strategic health authorities for the NHS Next Stage Review.

This will mean that by 2011 the government will have met the 2005 manifesto commitment to double the investment in palliative care. It will mean better quality care for patients by making it easier for individuals to bring about their own preferences around end of life care; promoting dignity and respect, properly co-ordinating services and supporting carers.The new ten year strategy, the first of its kind, builds on the progress made in developing end of life care services since 2000. Areas it will particularly focus on include:

Improved community services - asking PCTs, working with Local Authorities, to ensure that rapid response community nursing services are available in all areas 24/7. This will enable more people to be cared for and die at home if they wish
Workforce training and development - to train health and social care professionals in assessing the needs of patients and carers and providing the best possible quality care
Development of specialist palliative care outreach services - we will encourage PCTs and hospices to work together to develop specialist services in the community, which will support all adults regardless of their condition.
Setting up a national End of Life Research initiative - to further understand how best to care for those at the end of their lives.
Quality Standards - we will work with SHA Next Stage Review End of Life Care leads to develop quality standards against which PCTs and providers can assess themselves and be assessed by regulators.

Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review focused on End of Life Care as one of its key pathways, and this strategy follows on from the Review, helping to make that commitment a reality.

End of Life Care Strategy - Executive Summary (PDF)

This executive summary outlines the key areas addressed by the End of Life Care Strategy published by the Department of Health in July 2008.

(Department of Health, July 2008)

End of Life Care Strategy - Progress Letter

Letter from Professor Mike Richards, Chair of End of Life Care Strategy Advisory Board about the progress being made in developing a strategy for end of life care to meet the health and social care needs and preferences of all adult patients about where they live and die.

(Department of Health, 8 February 2007)

End of Life Care Strategy - Promoting high quality care for all adults at the end of life (PDF)

This strategy, published just after the 60th birthday of the NHS, represents an important milestone for health and social care. It is the first comprehensive framework aimed at promoting high quality care across the country for all adults approaching the end of life.

(Department of Health, July 2008)

End of Life Care Strategy - Related documents