Advice for professionals

The National End of Life Care Programme for England aims to support the implementation of the Department of Health's End of Life Care Strategy for England by sharing good practice in collaboration with local and national stakeholders.

The programme's website (http://www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/) is aimed at health and social care staff and provides information on a variety of aspects relating to end of life care. This includes more than 300 case studies that highlight good practice and new cases are constantly being added. They are taken from different care settings, e.g. care homes, hospitals, primary care and hospices, and align to all stages of the end of life care pathway. They also cover engaging with users and carers, commissioning, strategic direction and knowledge and skills. In addition there is a section containing latest news useful websites, links and resources.

If you wish to receive further information, email: information@eolc.nhs.uk or write to:

NHS End of Life Care Programme,

3rd Floor, St John's House,

East Street,

Leicester

LE1 6NB.

Advance Care Planning

Timed to coincide with Dying Matters Awareness Week (16-22 May), the National End of Life Care Programme (NEoLCP) has published Capacity, care planning and advance care planning in life limiting illness: A Guide for Health and Social Care Staff.

An updated version of Advance Care Planning: a guide for health and social care staff, the guide covers

• the importance of assessing a person’s capacity to make particular decisions about their care and treatment and of acting in the best interests of those who are assessed as lacking capacity to make these decisions.
• the differences and relationship between care planning and advance care planning (ACP).

Download Capacity, care planning and advance care planning in life limiting illness

GMC guidance on End of Life Care

The GMC has published guidance for doctors, Treatment and care towards the end of life: good practice in decision making; effective as at 1 July 2010.

This guidance replaces the booklet Withholding and withdrawing life-prolonging treatments (2002). It expands on the guidance in Consent, patients and doctors making decisions together, which sets out the principles on which good clinical decisions should be based, and provides a framework for good practice when providing treatment and care for patients who are reaching the end of their lives.

To view the guidance and access the learning materials please visit the GMC website.