Charter for end of life care in England

Published: 08 June 2011

Charter for end of life care published by RCN and RCGP in England

The Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of General Practitioners have published a new charter for end of life care that sets out best practice standards that all patients deserve from their primary health care team.

The End of Life Care Patient Charter (PDF 336KB) [see how to access PDF files] makes seven pledges to patients and their families. The pledges aim to help them live as well as they can, for as long as they can.

RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter says he hopes that the charter will assist people at the end of their lives, including those who die at home, if that is what they and their carers want.

“Primary care teams are well placed  to promote an exemplary standard of end of life care,” he says. “This charter clearly describes what patients and carers should expect as people are nearing the end of their life, as well as providing a framework for the staff providing that care.”

The RCN also hopes the charter will improve team working between nurses who work in the community and their colleagues based in general practice. “There is no doubt that the provision of end of life services have been significantly improved in recent years, however there is still a long way to go before we can be confident that people always receive the best possible care,” adds Dr Carter.

The charter is the result of collaborative work between patients, nurses, GPs, specialists and others from health and social care, and it will be revised over time based on feedback from patients, carers and primary health care teams.

A copy of the charter will be sent to 8,500 GP practices in England, to be displayed where patients can see it.

Further information

The charter pledges include:

• GPs and their practice teams will do their utmost to ensure a patient’s remaining days and nights are as comfortable as possible, and that they receive all the particular specialist care and emotional and spiritual support they need 
• the primary care team will do all they can to help the patient preserve their independence, dignity and sense of personal control throughout the course of their illness
• the primary care team will support those close to the patient, both as the patient approaches the end of their life and through their bereavement.

Read The End of Life Care Patient Charter (PDF 336KB).