End of life care / National Audit Office.

  • Great Britain. National Audit Office.
Date:
[2008], ©2008
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: End of life care / National Audit Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/64 (page 4)
    1 People are generally living longer and, of the half a million people who die each year in England, two-thirds are over 75 years old. The majority of deaths occur in an acute hospital (hospital) and do so following a period of chronic illness such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic respiratory disease, neurological disease or dementia. Most people wish to be cared for and die in their home but the number of people who are able to do so varies with age, geographical area and, most significantly, by condition. 2 End of life care services aim to support people approaching the end of their life to live as well as possible until they die. End of life care is often delivered by a large number and wide variety of generalist staff such as doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and social workers, although the exact number of people END OF LIFE CARE 3 The provision of end of life care services has become increasingly complex: people are living longer and the incidence of frailty and multiple conditions in older people is increasing. As a result, people approaching the end of their life require a combination of health and social care services provided in the community, hospitals, care homes, or hospices. Care is also provided by informal carers such as family members, close friends or volunteers.