Better end of life services for patients in Somerset

An independent evaluation looking at the impact of new end of life services in Somerset and North Somerset has found that patients using the services are less likely to be admitted to hospital or to die in hospital at the end of their lives.

The evaluation, carried out by the University of Bristol, looks at a range of services which aim to support and better coordinate care for people who want to be looked after at home at the end of their lives. The services, which launched in 2010, were developed through the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme (DCP), in partnership with Marie Curie Cancer Care, NHS Somerset and NHS North Somerset, local Clinical Commissioners, local hospices, acute trusts, social care and voluntary and independent sector organisations.

The study found that people receiving a DCP service were 80 per cent less likely to die in hospital in Somerset compared to those who did not receive care from the DCP. The study also found that emergency admissions to hospital in the last month of life were 39 per cent lower and Accident and Emergency attendances were 34 per cent lower for DCP patients, compared with people not in contact with the services.

In North Somerset, DCP service users were 67 per cent less likely to die in hospital; emergency admissions were 51 per cent lower; and Accident and Emergency attendances were 59 per cent lower.

The evaluation also looks at the experiences of patients, families, carers and health professionals using the services, who consistently reported excellent quality, co-ordinated care. Family carers in particular found all services with direct patient contact very beneficial, reporting that the services released them from their full time caring role and reduced their anxieties.

Jan Hull, Chair of the Project’s Executive Committee, said: "All partners have been deeply committed to ensure that the new services we developed were right for patients and their families as well as being sustainable. The results from the evaluation are very positive and show that the new services are really making a difference to terminally ill patients and their families at end of life in Somerset and North Somerset.

"Although these results show a really positive impact on patients and families, there is still more that can be done especially in ensuring more people are able to access the services and benefit from them earlier"

Karen Burfitt, Head of Service Design at Marie Curie said: "These great results demonstrate the importance of partnership working in improving end of life care. What is really encouraging is that local partners in Somerset are reflecting on the results and thinking about how they can do even better.

"Some of the quotes from patients and carers in the report are really powerful and highlight the fabulous impact better coordinated services can have on patients and their carers nearing the end of life".

The Delivering Choice Programme services included in the Somerset study are:

• End of Life Care Coordination Centres
• Out of Hours Advice and Response Line
• End of Life Care Discharge in Reach Nursing Service
• Electronic end of life care register and the recording of Key Worker
• Delivering Choice End of Life Care pathway and the Palliative Care Framework
• To the full evaluation report can be accessed here.

For more information about end of life care services in Somerset please contact the End of life care coordination centre on 01749 836550.

Marie Curie has 18 DCP projects running across England. The aim of the programme is to develop services so that palliative patients are cared for and die in their place of choice. For more information on the Marie Curie DCP, please contact Karen Burfitt on 07824 837325.

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