End of life care for adults quality standard

1. People approaching the end of life are identified in a timely way.

2. People approaching the end of life and their families and carers are communicated with, and offered information, in an accessible and sensitive way in response to their needs and preferences.

3. People approaching the end of life are offered comprehensive holistic assessments in response to their changing needs and preferences, with the opportunity to discuss, develop and review a personalised care plan for current and future support and treatment.

4. People approaching the end of life have their physical and specific psychological needs safely, effectively and appropriately met at any time of day or night, including access to medicines and equipment.

5. People approaching the end of life are offered timely personalised support for their social, practical and emotional needs, which is appropriate to their preferences, and maximises independence and social participation for as long as possible.

6. People approaching the end of life are offered spiritual and religious support appropriate to their needs and preferences.

7. Families and carers of people approaching the end of life are offered comprehensive holistic assessments in response to their changing needs and preferences, and holistic support appropriate to their current needs and preferences.

8. People approaching the end of life receive consistent care that is coordinated effectively across all relevant settings and services at any time of day or night, and delivered by practitioners who are aware of the person´s current medical condition, care plan and preferences.

9. People approaching the end of life who experience a crisis at any time of day or night receive prompt, safe and effective urgent care appropriate to their needs and preferences.

10. People approaching the end of life who may benefit from specialist palliative care, are offered this care in a timely way appropriate to their needs and preferences, at any time of day or night.

11. People in the last days of life are identified in a timely way and have their care coordinated and delivered in accordance with their personalised care plan, including rapid access to holistic support, equipment and administration of medication.

12. The body of a person who has died is cared for in a culturally sensitive and dignified manner.

13. Families and carers of people who have died receive timely verification and certification of the death.

14. People closely affected by a death are communicated with in a sensitive way and are offered immediate and ongoing bereavement, emotional and spiritual support appropriate to their needs and preferences.

15. Health and social care workers have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be competent to provide high-quality care and support for people approaching the end of life and their families and carers.

16. Generalist and specialist services providing care for people approaching the end of life and their families and carers have a multidisciplinary workforce sufficient in number and skill mix to provide high-quality care and support.

This NICE quality standard defines clinical best practice within this topic area. It provides specific, concise quality statements, measures and audience descriptors to provide the public, health and social care professionals, commissioners and service providers with definitions of high-quality care.

Quality standard documents

Full End of Life Care for adults quality standard (PDF format)
Full End of Life Care for adults quality standard (large print PDF format)
End of Life Care for adults areas of care map: click here to see the quality statements mapped against the areas of End of Life care for adults.
Information for patients
Information for patients (large print PDF format)
Consultation comments response table

Further information

Endorsing organisations

Many organisations share NICE's commitment to improve quality by making it clear what quality care is for patients and the public, health and social care professionals, commissioners and service providers.

So that these standards reach the widest possible audience, some of these organisations have endorsed the End of Life Care for adults quality standard.

These organisations are:

Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland
Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains
Brainstrust
College of Occupational Therapists
Compassion in Dying
English Community Care Association
Gold Standards Framework
Macmillan Cancer Support
National Care Forum
National Council for Palliative Care
National End of Life Care Programme
Pancreatic Cancer UK
Patients´ Association
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association (PSPA)
Resuscitation Council (UK)
Sarcoma UK
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
UK Community Advisory Board (UK-CAB)