Implementation of improvement strategies in palliative care

"This review is one of the first to provide an overview of the available literature in relation to strategies used to improve the organisation of palliative care. Since most studies reported positive results, further research is needed to identify and improve the effects of strategies aiming to improve the organisation of palliative care."

Implementation of improvement strategies in palliative care: an integrative review
J van Riet Paap et al.
Implementation Science 2015, 10:103  doi:10.1186/s13012-015-0293-2

Read more here.

“Conversation Ready”: A Framework for Improving End-of-Life Care

"This white paper describes the Conversation Ready framework, the changes associated with the framework’s five principles that can be implemented to improve end-of-life care, examples of changes tested by organizations, and suggested measures to guide improvement."

“Conversation Ready”: A Framework for Improving End-of-Life Care (IHI White Paper)
K McCutcheon Adams, A Kabcenell, K Little, L Sokol-Hessner
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
June 2015

Read more here.

Triggers for palliative care: Improving access

"This report explores the evidence around access to palliative care for people with terminal illnesses other than cancer."

Triggers for palliative care:  Improving access to care for people with diseases other than cancer
Marie Curie
June 2015

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Exploring the cost of care at the end of life

"The results suggest that cost savings might be available if community-based support were made more widely available to help people to die in their own homes, where that was their preference."

Exploring the cost of care at the end of life
T Georghiou, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
September 2014

Read more here.

Consensus on quality indicators to assess the organisation of palliative cancer and dementia care

"International experts selected a set of 23 QIs for the organisation of palliative care. Although we particularly focused on the organisation of cancer and dementia palliative care, most QIs are generic and are applicable for other types of diseases as well."

Consensus on quality indicators to assess the organisation of palliative cancer and dementia care applicable across national healthcare systems and selected by international experts
J van Riet Paap, M Vernooij-Dassen, R Dröes, L Radbruch, K Vissers,Y Engels
BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:396

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One chance to get it right

"This document sets out the approach to caring for dying people that health and care organisations and staff caring for dying people in England should adopt in future. The approach should be applied irrespective of the place in which someone is dying: hospital, hospice, own or other home and during transfers between different settings."

One chance to get it right: improving people’s experience of care in the last few days and hours of life
Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying People
Department of Health
June 2014

Read more here.

End of life care profiles for clinical commissioning groups

"These profiles, launched on 28 April 2014, draw together a wide range of information to give an overview of variations in cause and place of death, by age and sex, for each clinical commissioning group (CCG) in England. The profiles will help commissioners and providers of end of life care get a clearer picture of the end of life care needs of their local populations. They will help with the planning and delivery of services and will support drives locally towards improving end of life care."

End of life care profiles for clinical commissioning groups
Public Health England
April 2014

Access the profiles here.

National care of the dying audit for hospitals

"All hospitals should undertake local audit of care of the dying, including the assessment of the views of bereaved relatives, at least annually."

National care of the dying audit for hospitals, England: national report 
Royal College of Physicians, Marie Curie Cancer Care
May 2014

Read more here.

How to provide 24/7 joined up palliative care

"After years of disjointed end of life care services in England, an initiative in Bedfordshire shows how to coordinate services 24 hours a day." 

How to provide 24/7, joined up palliative care
S Picken, D Cakmak
Health Service Journal
16 April 2014

Read more here.

Commissioning children's palliative care

"This resource is designed to support CCGs to effectively commission palliative care for children and young people. It covers the following:

• What is children’s palliative care?
• Who needs children’s palliative care?
• Who provides children’s palliative care?
• How should children’s palliative care be commissioned?"

Commissioning children's palliative care: a guide for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
Together for short lives
August 2013

Read more here.

Palliative and end of life care for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups in the UK

"There is growing evidence that ethnic and cultural differences can influence patterns of advanced disease, illness experiences, healthcare seeking behaviour, and the use of healthcare services..... This report therefore provides an evidence-base to understand the profile of BAME populations living in the UK, and identifies their unmet needs regarding palliative and end of life care."

Palliative and end of life care for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups in the UK
N Calanzani, J Koffman, IJ Higginson
Mari Curie Cancer Care
June 2013

Read more here.

RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care

"Guidance for GPs, Clinical Commissioning Group advisers and commissioners in supporting better care for all people nearing the end of their life."

RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care
K Thomas, D Paynton
Royal College of General Practitioners
March 2013

Read more here.

Current and future needs for hospice care

"This report provides evidence on what is known and still needs to be known about patients’ and families’ needs for hospice care towards the end of life."

Current and future needs for hospice care: an evidence-based report
N Calanzani, IJ Higginson, B Gomes
January 2013

Read more here.

Commissioning guidance for specialist palliative care

"The purpose of this document is to provide commissioners with key information to help them commission specialist palliative care, as a specific component of the whole spectrum of palliative and end of life care service provision."

Commissioning guidance for specialist palliative care: helping to deliver commissioning objectives
Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland, Consultant Nurse in Palliative Care Reference Group, Marie Curie Cancer Care, National Council for Palliative Care, and Palliative Care Section of the Royal Society of Medicine
December 2012

Read more here.

Impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life

"The evaluation examined whether this home-based nursing care helped more people to die at home, and its impact on use and costs of hospital care at the end of life."

The impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life
X Chitnis, T Georghiou, A Steventon, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
November 2012

Read more here.

Impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life

"Home-based palliative care has the potential to improve care at the end of life by reducing the demand for costly and often undesirable hospital care, and allowing more people to die at home."

The impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life
X Chitnis, T Georghiou, A Steventon, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
November 2012

Read more here.

First steps to improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care

"NHS Improvement has over a decade of experience in clinical patient pathway redesign in cancer, diagnostics, heart, lung and stroke and demonstrates some of the most leading edge improvement work in England which supports improved patient experience and outcomes."

First steps to improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care
NHS Improvement - Lung
October 2012

Read more here.

Commissioning person centred end of life care

"This toolkit identifies the main elements involved in commissioning for person centred end of life care. It explains the commissioning cycle in practical terms and offers a four-stage approach to successful commissioning across all sectors."

Commissioning person centred end of life care: a toolkit for health and social care professionals
National End of Life Care Programme
October 2012

Read more here.

Towards excellence in hospice care

"This publication which draws together the learning of a highly successful programme funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, overseen by Help the Hospices and evaluated by Cass Business School, with input from over 26 hospices across the UK who have risen to the challenge of opening their doors wider to individuals, groups and communities previously under-represented in their patient profile."

Towards excellence in hospice care
Help the Hospices
October 2012

Read more here.

Understanding patterns of health and social care at the end of life

"Individuals with the highest social care costs had relatively low average hospital costs - this was broadly the case irrespective of age, and suggests that use of social care may prevent the need for hospital care."

Understanding patterns of health and social care at the end of life
T Georghiou, S Davies, A Davies, M Bardsley
Nuffield Institute
October 2012

Read more here.