RCGP Launches Groundbreaking ‘Ante-Mortem’ End of Life
Care Strategy
November 6th
2009
The Royal College of General Practitioners
(RCGP) has published a groundbreaking new UK-wide strategy aimed at
fundamentally improving the standards of care for those in the last
stages of life.
Development of the RCGP End of Life Care
Strategy has been led by Professor Keri Thomas, RCGP Clinical
Champion in End of Life Care.
The strategy identifies 10 recommended areas
for further work, including the establishment of a new End of Life
Care Working Group to oversee and report on their progress. The
recommendations include:
- Recognising and rewarding best practice
- Reviewing and refinement of existing educational resources
- Supporting research and development of best practice
models
- Endorsing the use of Advance Care Planning
- Improving Out of Hours Palliative Care
- Strengthening team-working with nurses, as part of the primary
healthcare team
The strategy highlights concern that existing
health and social care services are “ill prepared and unready to
fully meet the needs of the majority of those approaching the end
of their life.”
This is attributed to the dramatically
changing demographic profiles in the UK: more people are living
longer with more serious illnesses, with the result of more
protracted end of life and dying stages.
RCGP Chairman, Professor Steve Field, said:
“Providing end of life care is one of the most important and
challenging tasks faced by GPs. Adopting this new strategy will
help us develop good practice and promote excellence in this vital
area of patient care.
“One concern that the strategy focuses on is
the fact that around 70% of people do not die where they choose and
that, in contrast, 40% of deaths in hospital could have occurred
elsewhere – such as at home.
“There are no second chances with end of life
care – we have a responsibility to get it right first time. This
new strategy will help make this happen, and ensure that patients
receive the best possible care, for them, at this enormously
difficult time.”
Professor Thomas said: “The adoption of this
RCGP End of Life Care Strategy will lead the way in defining,
enabling and pioneering good practice in end of life care,
reflecting the crucial role that GPs play now and in future.
“This is more than just care for the dying,
vital as this is. This is ‘ante-mortem’ care – in the same way as
we need ante-natal care – for people in the final year or so of
life.”
She described the new strategy as affirmation
of the RCGP’s commitment to promoting excellence in end-of-life
care, and as an agreement to make this a priority for the
future.
For more information, please contact the RCGP
Press Office at press@rcgp.org.uk, contact Charlie
Breslin on 0207 344 3136 or the on-site conference press office on
07885 958 632
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Royal College of General Practitioners is
a network of over 37,000 family doctors working to improve care for
patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards
of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on
education, training, research and clinical standards.