About the campaign

Around one percent of a GP’s patients will die in any given year. The Find Your 1% campaign aims to help GPs identify those patients who have a year or less to live.

The campaign is hosted by the Dying Matters Coalition. We are working with Macmillan, the Royal College of General Practitioners and others to ensure we are providing clinicians with the information and resources they need to support a good death.

The campaign aims to enhance GPs’ ability to: 

• Identify patients with a year or less to live
• Initiate conversations about end of life care
• Put end of life care plans in place

Death in England today

Around 70% of people want to die at home, yet more than half of the 450,000 people who die each year in England do so in hospital. With death rates predicted to rise to around 586,000 by 2030, there will be increased pressure on care homes, supported housing and home deaths. As a result, good communication with patients and carers, and advance care planning, is ever more crucial.

Typically towards the end of life, each unplanned admission to hospital costs more than  £3,000. In the last 12 months before death, patients average 3.5 admissions each, with estimates that at any one time 20% of all hospital beds are occupied by people who are dying. If each person had one less crisis admission, the NHS would save £1,350,000,000 (NHS QIPP EOL workstream 2010).

Why GPs are vital to end of life care

Natcen research by Dying Matters shows that people are four times more likely to want to talk to their GP about planning for their end of life than to a solicitor, and ten times more likely than to a nurse.  

GPs are the gate-keepers to health services in England. If you do not plan community support for a dying patient, he or she will end up in crisis using emergency services. 

What are the benefits to GPs?

Caring for a patient right through to the end-of-life can be one of the most satisfying aspects of medicine. Additionally, good end of life care management can mean:  

• More efficient and holistic care by reducing inappropriate admission and referrals
• Fewer patient complaints
• Meeting the requirements of the evidence based Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF)

‘It’s not so much dying that I’m worried about, but making sure that everything is sorted out for the people who will be left behind.’