End of life care strategy launched in the UK
The ‘End of Life Care Strategy’ for the UK, backed with £286 million to provide high quality care for all adults approaching the end of their life, has been announced.
It will help more people die in the setting they choose, mainly at home surrounded by loved ones.
The new ten year strategy, the first of its kind, will focus on:
- Improved community services – to ensure that rapid response community nursing services are available in all areas 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will enable more people to be cared for and die at home if they wish.
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Workforce training and development – to train health and social care professionals in assessing the needs of patients and carers, and providing the best possible quality care.
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Development of specialist palliative care outreach services – Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and hospices, to work together to develop specialist services in the community, which will support all adults regardless of their condition.
- Setting up a national ‘End of Life Research’ initiative – to further understand how best to care for those at the end of their lives.
- Quality standards – against which PCTs and providers can assess themselves and be assessed by regulators.
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