GPs are in an opportune position to make a real difference to a person's last 12 months of life. The care received during this time can have a significant impact on their wellbeing and a long-lasting effect on their loved ones. The National End of Life Care Programme and Dying Matters urge GPs to identify those patients who may be in their last year of life and talk to them about their preferences. By doing so, people are more likely to get high quality end of life care, have fewer emergency admissions to hospital and have a good death in the place of their choosing. This A6 pack has been developed to be a practical tool to help GPs do exactly that. As well as links to useful sources of information, the pack contains postcards with support and advice on: Identifying people at the end of life Having end of life care conversations Putting plans in place Managing and co-ordinating care Space to include local information such as the telephone numbers of hospices, palliative care teams and pharmacies which stock palliative care drugs. Publication by the National End of Life Programme which became part of NHS Improving Quality in May 2013

1. Find your 1%
Helping GPs to support people
to live and die well

2. Do you know the 1% of your
patients who are in their last
year of life?
By identifying which of your patients are in their
last year of life and talking to them about their
preferences, they are more likely to get high
quality end of life care, have fewer emergency
admissions to hospital and have a good death in
the place of their choosing.
n Around 1% of the UK population dies each year
n With an increasingly ageing population, the
number of deaths in England is set to rise from
500,000 to 590,000 over the next 20 years
n We know that over 70% of people would prefer to
die at home, yet 51% die in hospital
n 76% of people who are included on an electronic
palliative care co-ordination system (EPaCCS) die in
their preferred place, and only 8% die in hospital
n Cutting the number of deaths in hospital by 60,000
per year, approximately one patient per GP per
year, would lead to an annual NHS saving of £180
million
n The average GP cares for 20 dying patients each
year
n Research has shown that after friends and family it
is GPs who people want to turn to for information
about end of life care.
Find your 1%.

3. Useful websites
Department of Health – End of Life Care Strategy
(2008) www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/
Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/
DH_086277
Dying Matters – raising awareness of dying, death and
bereavement: www.dyingmatters.org
e-ELCA – free e-learning on all aspects of end of life care:
www.e-lfh.org.uk/projects/e-elca/index.html and open
access taster sessions: www.endoflifecareforall.com
Find your 1% – microsite, resources, case studies and
further information: www.dyingmatters.org/gp
General Medical Council – Treatment and care towards
the end of life: good practice in decision making (2010):
www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/end_
of_life_care.asp
National End of Life Care Intelligence Network –
reports, modelling tools and profiles by PCT and Local
Authority area:
www.endoflifecare-intelligence.org.uk
National End of Life Care Programme – guides,
support tools, service specifications and more:
www.endoflifecare.nhs.uk
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence –
quality standard on end of life care for adults (2011):
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/QS13
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
– guide for commissioners on end of life care for adults
(2011):
www.nice.org.uk/usingguidance/
commissioningguides/endoflifecare/
endoflifecareadults.jsp
Royal College of GPs – end of life care web resource,
strategy and patient charter:
www.rcgp.org.uk/end_of_life_care/home.aspx

4. www.dyingmatters.org/gp
Published by the National End of Life Care Programme
ISBN:
Programme Ref:
Publication date:
Review date:
978 1 908874 37 5
PB0048 A 10 12
October 2012
October 2014
© National End of Life Care Programme (2012)
All rights reserved. For full Terms of Use please visit
www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/terms-of-use or email information@eolc.
nhs.uk. In particular please note that you must not use this product or material
for the purposes of financial or commercial gain, including, without limitation,
sale of the products or materials to any person.