The purpose of learning about end of life care is to be able to support people who are dying to have the best possible quality of life during the time they have left.You might hear this referred to as “having a good death experience”.

The term “end of life” is used for care and support for people who are in the last months or years of their life.  

The word “terminal” means that an illness cannot be cured and death will occur within a limited period of time.  

So what is palliative care and what is the difference between end of life care and palliative care?

End of life care includes “palliative care” which is specifically care for a person with an illness that cannot be cured. Palliative care focuses on making people as comfortable as possible by managing their pain and other distressing symptoms. It also involves psychological, social and spiritual support for the individual and their family or carers.  

There is a lot of confusion about the terms “end of life” and “palliative” care. This short (4.47 minute) video from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) talks about these terms and the importance of communication.

End of Life and palliative care: Thinking about the words we use

Messages for practice 1. When speaking to a person who is dying or their relatives, understand the impact of the terms used 2. Where possible, try to explain things in plain English, rather than automatically using potentially unfamiliar terms like ‘palliative’ and ‘end of life’ care’ 3.

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The Care Quality Commission, known as CQC, are responsible for inspecting the quality of social care services. 

CQC define end of life as:

“people who are approaching the end of life when they are likely to die within the next 12 months.”

This includes people whose death is imminent, which means expected within a few hours or days and also people with:

1. Advanced, progressive, incurable conditions.
2. General frailty and co-existing conditions that mean they are expected to die within 12 months.
3. Existing conditions if they are at risk of dying from a severe decline in their condition.
4. Life-threatening conditions caused by a sudden catastrophe.

End of life care helps people with advanced, progressive, incurable illness to live as well as possible until they die. It is about the support and palliative care needs of both the individual who is dying and their family. It is about their needs being identified and met throughout the last phase of life and into bereavement.