End of Life Care Strategy

Overview

In July 2008 the Department of Health published its first End of Life Care Strategy. This strategy recognised that although many patients receive excellent care at the end of life, delivered both by the statutory and voluntary sectors some do not.

The aim of the national End of Life Care Strategy is to enable adult patients to have choice about where they live and die and provide them with the support to make this possible.

 Developing a local End of Life Care Strategy

We are working in partnership with NHS Richmond to develop a local joint strategy in line with the recommendations from the national strategy. To help us understand the End of Life Care needs and views of our local community we will be organising a programme of activities to:

• To raise awareness within the community of End of Life Care issues and services, making conversations more common place.
• To gain the views of the local community on priorities for End of Life Care services.
• To shape Richmond's End of Life Care Strategy

Timeframe

The involvement programme which included a stakeholder event, focus groups with members of the local community and an EOLC survey ran from July to September 2009.

•  The draft strategy is expected to be available for comment in February 2010.
•  The final strategy is expected in March 2010.