The health and care needs for end of life and palliative care can be complex. It can affect many different areas of a person’s health and wellbeing at a time when their focus and priorities may be on other things.
What is palliative and end of life care?
Death and dying are a natural part of life. Ensuring people can live as fully and comfortably as possible until the end of life is important to us all. Support should meet the needs of people of all ages who are facing dying, death, and bereavement, as well as their families, carers, and communities. This support should reflect their individual priorities, preferences, and wishes. Providing personalised care during the final months and years of life can lead to a better experience, focusing on what truly matters to the person while also supporting the sustainability of health and care services.
Palliative care, as defined by the World Health Organisation, aims to improve quality of life for both adults and children (and their loved ones), who are living with life limiting illnesses, which are often progressive in nature. Progressive long-term conditions include chronic lung, heart, kidney or neurological diseases, dementia or general frailty, as well as incurable cancer. Palliative care works to prevent and relieve suffering, through early identification and a holistic assessment of all needs, including effective treatment of symptoms like pain or other physical, emotional social or spiritual needs.
In England, ‘end of life care’ refers specifically to the care provided during the last year of life.
For more information, visit NHS England – Palliative and end of life care.
HPAL: Expert palliative care information with links to local services across mid and south Essex to support care at home
The HPAL website is a unique information resource for clinicians, patients, carers and loved ones. It aims to support anyone who needs, or is involved with, palliative and end of life care, whether in a hospice, care home or in their own home.
The website’s content will help clinicians develop their palliative care knowledge as well as help patients and carers support their own care needs.
The articles on the website cover a diverse range of topics such as:
- The importance of advance care planning and thinking about care needs and wishes for the future
- Guidance for people facing bereavement and grief
- Caring for someone at home
- Pain management
- Local services: detailed profiles on a range of healthcare services available in mid and south Essex, including pharmacies, helplines, charities, and support groups