Information for the media

Dying Matters is a coalition of more than 16,000 members so far which aims to change public knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards death, dying and bereavement.

The Coalition was set up and is led by the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) to support the implementation of the Department of Health’s End of Life Care Strategy. Its membership is made up of organisations from across the  NHS and the voluntary and independent health and care sectors.

The Coalition believes that as a society we need to talk more about dying, death and bereavement. Death is still a taboo – which is why our members are encouraging people to talk about their wishes with friends, family and loved ones towards the end of their lives, including where they want to die and their funeral plans. Our aim is to make a ‘good death’ the norm.

The first Dying Matters Awareness Week ran from the 15th to the 21st of March 2010 and encompassed a national media and PR campaign. The second Dying Matters Awareness Week took place from 16-22 May 2011 and attracted substantial media attention.

This year's Awareness Week will take place from 14 - 20 May 2012.

The Dying Matters news team has compiled a wide range of background information for the media and can offer broadcast and print-friendly case studies to journalists wishing to report on the Coalition’s aims and activities.

For more information, please contact Joe Levenson, Head of Communications, on freephone 08000 21 44 66 / j.levenson@ncpc.org.uk.