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NACEL published four new outputs on care at the end of life in hospitals
NHS Benchmarking Network today published four new outputs from the National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL), the national audit of the quality of care experienced by dying adults, and those important to them, in hospitals across England, Wales and Jersey. NACEL has been run by NHS Benchmarking Network since 2017 and is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP).
NHS Benchmarking Network today published four new outputs from the National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL), the national audit of the quality of care experienced by dying adults, and those important to them, in hospitals across England, Wales and Jersey. NACEL has been run by NHS Benchmarking Network since 2017 and is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP).
State of the Nations report
The State of the Nations report set out the national position on care at the end of life in acute and community hospitals in 2025, based on data reviewed, cleansed and analysed for the period January to December 2025. It covered specialist palliative care provision, symptom management and personalised care planning, among other measures.
Mental Health Spotlight Audit
A Mental Health Spotlight Audit examined care at the end of life in mental health inpatient settings during 2025, reporting against four national recommendations for improving the quality of care in this setting.
Bespoke Dashboard Report
Participating organisations can download a bespoke dashboard report summarising their own 2025 acute and community hospital data against NACEL's key indicators, headline findings from the 2025 State of the Nations Report and Patient and Carer Tool metrics from the Data and Improvement Tool.
Patient and Carer Tool
The Patient and Carer Tool was refreshed with 2025 acute and community hospital data and became viewable at hospital and site level to the public. It covers five areas: specialist palliative care access, pain relief, overall care rated excellent or good, personalised care and support planning, and spiritual, religious and cultural needs. The tool was made open to the public, giving patients, families and carers clearer information about care at the end of life at hospitals near them.
Find out more
Advance Care Planning Day: Supporting people and communities who are marginalised
Advance Care Planning Day highlights the importance of planning ahead and having meaningful conversations about future care. It is a chance to celebrate the conversations that help people share what matters most to them — from their wishes and priorities to the care and support they would want in the future. This year's theme reminds us that everyone should have the opportunity to be heard, understood and involved in decisions about their care.
Advance Care Planning Day highlights the importance of planning ahead and having meaningful conversations about future care. It is a chance to celebrate the conversations that help people share what matters most to them — from their wishes and priorities to the care and support they would want in the future. This year's theme reminds us that everyone should have the opportunity to be heard, understood and involved in decisions about their care.
The National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) is proud to support Advance Care Planning Day and encourages organisations and individuals to explore the resources, events, and guidance available through the national campaign. NACEL also provides a range of data, insights, and resources that support good advance care planning practice in hospital settings.
What the NACEL 2024 data tells us
Listen: why advance care planning matters
Mary Miller joined the Speak for Me podcast to talk about advance care planning and why these conversations can be so valuable.
Listen to episode 141: speakforme.co.uk/podcast-episode-141
Putting personalised care into practice
This links to NACEL 2024 Recommendation 3: Improve personalised care and support planning (page 4 of the recommendations document).
View recommendations: NACEL 2024 recommendations (PDF)
2025 data now available
The 2025 NACEL dataset is now live in the Data and Improvement Tool (DIT). The full report is due for publication in August 2026.
Log in to the DIT: data.nacel.nhs.uk
NACEL 2026 Feedback Form
The deadline to complete the NACEL feedback form is 8am on Monday, 22nd June 2026. Thank you to those who have submitted the form so far. The NACEL Team continues to invite colleagues from participating organisations to complete a brief, 5-minute form to share your feedback on how NACEL 2026 has been progressing so far. This insight will provide valuable information as we begin scoping NACEL 2027.
Your input is extremely valuable.
You are welcome to fill this out either anonymously or with your details.
Click below to complete the form:
Don’t Miss Out! Participate in the Upcoming National Events
Clinical Audit Awareness Week — 22–26 June 2026
Clinical Audit Awareness Week (#CAAW26) celebrates the critical role of clinical audit and data-driven improvement in saving and improving lives. Across five themed days, the week features a packed programme of free webinars covering topics from patient safety and equity to innovation and the NHS 10-Year Plan. Promotional resources are also available to help your organisation get involved.
Click below to view the full programme:
National Advance Care Planning Day — 1 July 2026
Advance Care Planning Day highlights the importance of planning ahead and having meaningful conversations about future care. It is a chance to celebrate the conversations that help people share what matters most to them — from their wishes and priorities to the care and support they would want in the future. This year's theme reminds us that everyone should have the opportunity to be heard, understood and involved in decisions about their care.
The National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) is proud to support Advance Care Planning Day and encourages organisations and individuals to explore the resources, events, and guidance available through the national campaign. NACEL also provides a range of data, insights, and resources that support good advance care planning practice in hospital settings.
Click below to view the full programme:
What does the NACEL 2024 Data tell us?
Listen: why advance care planning matters
Mary Miller joined the Speak for Me podcast to talk about advance care planning and why these conversations can be so valuable.
Listen to episode 141: speakforme.co.uk/podcast-episode-141
Putting personalised care into practice
This links to NACEL 2024 Recommendation 3: Improve personalised care and support planning (page 4 of the recommendations document).
View recommendations: NACEL 2024 recommendations (PDF)
2025 data now available
The 2025 NACEL dataset is now live in the Data and Improvement Tool (DIT). The full report is due for publication in August 2026.
Log in to the DIT: data.nacel.nhs.uk
Whether it starts with one question, one conversation or one shared preference, advance care planning is a vital part of end of life care — helping ensure that a person's wishes, priorities and preferences are known, respected and central to every decision made at the end of life.
NACEL Returned to the Community Hospital Association
Last month, the NACEL team attended the Community Hospitals Association (CHA) Conference for the second year running, connecting with colleagues, delivering workshops, and sharing how audit data is helping community hospitals demonstrate and improve the quality of end-of-life care. With findings from 2024 and 2025 showing community hospitals frequently match or exceed acute settings in end-of-life care quality, there is a compelling story to tell.
Click below to read more: