Royal College Of General Practitioners Launches Groundbreaking 'ante-mortal' End Of Life Care Strategy, UK

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 08 Nov 2009 - 0:00 PST

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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-mortal' 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.

Source
The Royal College of General Practitioners