The 2015 Quality of Death Index

"This is the second edition of the Index, updating and expanding upon the first iteration, which was published in 2010. The new and expanded 2015 Index evaluates 80 countries using 20 quantitative and qualitative indicators across five categories: the palliative and healthcare environment, human resources, the affordability of care, the quality of care and the level of community engagement. To build the Index the EIU used official data and existing research for each country, and also interviewed palliative care experts from around the world."

The 2015 Quality of Death Index: Ranking palliative care across the world
The Economist Intelligence Unit
October 2015

Read more here.

Advancing the case for free social care at the end of life

"Last autumn Macmillan exposed the fact that every day around 100 people with cancer die in hospitals in England having said they wanted to die at home."

Can we live with how we're dying? Advancing the case for free social care at the end of life
Macmillan Cancer Support
June 2014

Read more here.

Use of health and social care by people with cancer

"This report focuses on the two periods when people with cancer make greatest use of hospital care – in the period around and following diagnosis, and at the end of life."

Use of health and social care by people with cancer
X Chitnis, A Steventon, A Glaser, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
May 2014

Read the summary here.

Read the full report here.

Global atlas of palliative care at the end of life

"Only 1 in 10 people who need palliative care - that is medical care to relieve the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness - is currently receiving it. This unmet need is mapped for the first time in the "Global atlas of palliative care at the end of life", published jointly by the WHO and the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA)."

Access the Atlas here.

How clinical commissioning groups are changing the face of the NHS

"These stories demonstrate how the NHS can become patient centred and sustainable. Not only do these innovations help people to stay well or prevent them becoming ill in the first place, they also allow the NHS to make best use of precious resources."

Taking the lead: how clinical commissioning groups are changing the face of the NHS
NHS Clinical Commissioners
January 2014

Read more here.

Read a summary from the Commissioning Elf here.

Life after death: six steps to improve support in bereavement

"These steps could bring great benefits to individuals and to society as a whole: reducing the use of acute health and social care services, lessening the number of days lost to the economy, and improving the wellbeing of those facing such a significant change in their lives."

Life after death: six steps to improve support in bereavement
National Bereavement Alliance, National Council for Palliative Care, Dying Matters Coalition
January 2014

Read more here.

Commissioning children's palliative care

"This resource is designed to support CCGs to effectively commission palliative care for children and young people. It covers the following:

• What is children’s palliative care?
• Who needs children’s palliative care?
• Who provides children’s palliative care?
• How should children’s palliative care be commissioned?"

Commissioning children's palliative care: a guide for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
Together for short lives
August 2013

Read more here.

Read a summary from the Commissioning Elf here.

Palliative and end of life care for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups in the UK

"There is growing evidence that ethnic and cultural differences can influence patterns of advanced disease, illness experiences, healthcare seeking behaviour, and the use of healthcare services..... This report therefore provides an evidence-base to understand the profile of BAME populations living in the UK, and identifies their unmet needs regarding palliative and end of life care."

Palliative and end of life care for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups in the UK
N Calanzani, J Koffman, IJ Higginson
Mari Curie Cancer Care
June 2013

Read more here.

RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care

"Guidance for GPs, Clinical Commissioning Group advisers and commissioners in supporting better care for all people nearing the end of their life."

RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care
K Thomas, D Paynton
Royal College of General Practitioners
March 2013

Read more here.

Current and future needs for hospice care

"This report provides evidence on what is known and still needs to be known about patients’ and families’ needs for hospice care towards the end of life."

Current and future needs for hospice care: an evidence-based report
N Calanzani, IJ Higginson, B Gomes
January 2013

Read more here.

Commissioning guidance for specialist palliative care

"The purpose of this document is to provide commissioners with key information to help them commission specialist palliative care, as a specific component of the whole spectrum of palliative and end of life care service provision."

Commissioning guidance for specialist palliative care: helping to deliver commissioning objectives
Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland, Consultant Nurse in Palliative Care Reference Group, Marie Curie Cancer Care, National Council for Palliative Care, and Palliative Care Section of the Royal Society of Medicine
December 2012

Read more here.

Impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life

"The evaluation examined whether this home-based nursing care helped more people to die at home, and its impact on use and costs of hospital care at the end of life."

The impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life
X Chitnis, T Georghiou, A Steventon, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
November 2012

Read more here.

Impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life

"Home-based palliative care has the potential to improve care at the end of life by reducing the demand for costly and often undesirable hospital care, and allowing more people to die at home."

The impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life
X Chitnis, T Georghiou, A Steventon, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
November 2012

Read more here.

First steps to improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care

"NHS Improvement has over a decade of experience in clinical patient pathway redesign in cancer, diagnostics, heart, lung and stroke and demonstrates some of the most leading edge improvement work in England which supports improved patient experience and outcomes."

First steps to improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care
NHS Improvement - Lung
October 2012

Read more here.

Commissioning person centred end of life care

"This toolkit identifies the main elements involved in commissioning for person centred end of life care. It explains the commissioning cycle in practical terms and offers a four-stage approach to successful commissioning across all sectors."

Commissioning person centred end of life care: a toolkit for health and social care professionals
National End of Life Care Programme
October 2012

Read more here.

Towards excellence in hospice care

"This publication which draws together the learning of a highly successful programme funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, overseen by Help the Hospices and evaluated by Cass Business School, with input from over 26 hospices across the UK who have risen to the challenge of opening their doors wider to individuals, groups and communities previously under-represented in their patient profile."

Towards excellence in hospice care
Help the Hospices
October 2012

Read more here.

Understanding patterns of health and social care at the end of life

"Individuals with the highest social care costs had relatively low average hospital costs - this was broadly the case irrespective of age, and suggests that use of social care may prevent the need for hospital care."

Understanding patterns of health and social care at the end of life
T Georghiou, S Davies, A Davies, M Bardsley
Nuffield Institute
October 2012

Read more here.

Reviewing end of life care costing information to inform the QIPP End of Life Care Workstream

"There are potential savings that could be released by shifting care from the acute to the community setting if such is the patient’s wish and if the commensurate disinvestment in acute care systems can be achieved."

Reviewing end of life care costing information to inform the QIPP End of Life Care Workstream
National End of Life Care Programme
September 2012

Read more here.

Experience led commissioning for end of life care

"The ELC commissioning process was thought to be different from the usual way of doing things because it was seen as more ‘human’ and ‘real’, involved ‘meaningful’ user engagement, contributions from a wide range of stakeholders, and was run as a change management process."

Experience led commissioning for end of life care: final evaluation report
A Cheshire, D Ridge
January 2012

Read more here.

NICE guide for commissioners on end of life care for adults

"This commissioning guide is a resource to assist commissioners, clinicians and managers to commission high quality and evidence based services across England."


CMG42 Guide for commissioners on end of life care for adults
NICE
January 2012

Read more here.