Promoting high quality care for all at the end of life: review of NHS National End of Life Care Programme 2004–2007 and implications for primary care

摘要

Key messages class="unordered" style="list-style-type:disc">End of life care has traditionally had a low profile in England. As a result many people do not die where they wish to.The creation of the End of Life Care programme and the launch of the National Strategy for End of Life Care has started to change that.Pockets of good practice show that excellence can be achieved. But it is now vital that the best is spread to the rest.Most end of life care is likely to take place in primary care. So success depends on what happens in the community.Why this matters to usEnd of life care is an experience we will all undergo in one form or another. So we must get it right. This article aims to demonstrate how the National End of Life Care Programme has helped to raise the profile of end of life care services. But it also shows that much more needs to be done. In particular, it seeks to alert primary care staff to the centrality of their role in establishing high quality, well-coordinated services.