Quality standard
Quality statements
Quality statements
Statement 1 Adults who have signs and symptoms that suggest they may be in the last days of life are monitored for further changes to help determine if they are nearing death, stabilising or recovering.
Statement 2 Adults in the last days of life, and the people important to them, are given opportunities to discuss, develop and review an individualised care plan.
Statement 3 Adults in the last days of life who are likely to need symptom control are prescribed anticipatory medicines with individualised indications for use, dosage and route of administration.
Statement 4 Adults in the last days of life have their hydration status assessed daily, and have a discussion about the risks and benefits of hydration options.
NICE has developed guidance and quality standards on patient experience in adult NHS services and service user experience in adult mental health services (see NICE's Pathways on patient experience in adult NHS services and service user experience in adult mental health services), which should be considered alongside these quality statements.
Other quality standards that should be considered when commissioning or providing care for dying adults in the last days of life include NICE's guideline on end of life care for adults.
A full list of NICE quality standards is available from the quality standards topic library.