There are calls for improvement in end of life care as a number of reports have highlighted variation in the quality of care that patients receive. Cases have been highlighted where patients have suffered unnecessary pain and died without dignity.
About 500,000 people die each year in England. It is thought that the majority of these deaths – approximately 3 in 4 – are expected, but recognising when death is imminent can be challenging.
Earlier this year, the House of Commons Health Committee published its findings on the state of end of life care1 since the independent Review of the Liverpool Care Pathway, chaired by Baroness Neuberger.2 The committee found significant variation in quality and practice across both acute and community settings.
It made a number of recommendations for improvement, and in particular recommended that social care should be free at the end of life. The MPs concluded that all clinicians and providers who care for people at the end of life should be aware of the Five Priorities of Care (see Fig 1.)
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