GPs’ views sought to improve end of life care
Press release published
Marie Curie is working with The Royal College of General Practitioners to undertake a survey of GPs’ views on the state of palliative and end of life care in the UK.
The National General Practice Palliative and End of Life Care audit, which examines themes such as patients’ needs, time spent with patients and quality of care given to people living with a terminal illness, is aimed at identifying how general practice is addressing palliative care needs in the community.
It is hoped the findings of the audit will help the RCGP provide greater educational support to GPs, as well as forming the foundations of a call for greater political and financial support to assist GPs in delivering end of life care.
The relatively short, easy to complete survey is being targeted at GP practices from across the UK. It mirrors a similar audit carried out five years ago, and the results will be compared to see how behaviours and attitudes have changed over recent years.
GPs can access the survey May, at http://bit.ly/1ZAg3S3.
This work is part of Marie Curie’s extended partnership with the RCGP, confirmed earlier this month. The one-year Spotlight project will identify best practice in end of life care while working with other professional bodies to ensure key learning is widely disseminated.
Dr Catherine Millington Sanders, Clinical Champion for End of Life Care for the RCGP and Marie Curie, said: “NHS England’s recent General Practice Forward View was a statement of faith in our profession and we very much hope that some of the new funding will be used to enhance end of life care.
“With an increasing ageing population, and as the number of deaths increase in the future, GPs will need additional time and support in order to provide the high quality end of life care our patients deserve. We would encourage family doctors to complete our survey so that we can understand their current experiences of delivering end of life care, and shape our work to support them and improve the care our patients receive accordingly.”
Professor Bill Noble, Medical Director at Marie Curie, added: “Getting a picture of end of life care in general practice remains very important in ensuring that people can access the best possible care at the end of their life. We’re pleased to be working alongside the RCGP on this important piece of work.”
The findings of the audit will be published in October. GPs can access the survey May, at http://bit.ly/1ZAg3S3. The survey closes on Tuesday 31st May.
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