News and updates
NACEL 2024
The National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) 2024 is launching soon, and we are excited to invite organisations in England and Wales to participate in this crucial national effort.
Key changes to NACEL 2024
More frequent data collection and reporting
Focus on Quality Improvement activities
Revised data points
New reporting system
Data and Improvement Tool
What do I need to do?
Registration for NACEL 2024 will open on 13th November 2023. Participants will be invited to register your organisation for the redesigned audit.
Prepare relevant teams and clinicians for the Case Note Review and Quality Survey data collection for NACEL 2024, scheduled to commence in January 2024
The Quality Survey will require the bereavement service to invite bereaved carers to participate in the NACEL Quality Survey from January 2024 – December 2024.
We advise that you contact your local bereavement office to ask whether the Quality Survey can be implemented starting from the 1st of January, and how and when is best to communicate this information e.g., during the collection of the death certificate, via an electronic messaging system, posters, etc.
Explore whether your organisation complies with the national data opt out and where this information is stored.
The national data opt-out is a service that allows patients to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning. It is the organisation’s responsibility to ensure that the appropriate patient data is submitted to the NACEL 2024 Case Note Review.
Keep an eye out for further communications to be released by the NACEL team, including information about joining the NACEL 2024 Warm Up webinar on the 4th December 2023 (1pm-2pm)
What happens next?
Registration opens - 13th November 2023
Audit proposal finalised - Early November 2023
Audit guidance and data specifications released to participants - Early November 2023
Warm up webinar for participants (session will be recorded) - 4th December 2023
Data collection opens for the Case Note Review and Quality Survey - 1st January 2024
First outputs displayed on the NACEL Data and Improvement Tool - April 2024
NACEL on NHSE's 2023/24 Quality Account List:
We are pleased to inform you that NACEL is included in NHSE's 2023/24 Quality Account list. Trusts’ participation is not only encouraged but also recognised at a national level.
We invite you to register for NACEL 2024 when registration opens on 13th November 2023.
If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at nhsbn.nacelsupport@nhs.net.
NACEL 2023 Pilot
In preparation for the roll out of NACEL in 2024 and 2025, the NACEL team launched the NACEL pilot earlier this year. The aims of the pilot included:
To evaluate whether quarterly data collection is effective.
To evaluate whether emergency department (ED) deaths can be collected in NACEL.
To test the target sample size for the Case Note Review collection.
To test out the revised Case Note Review questions.
To understand the scope and limitations of data, statistically and clinically.
To understand and determine the most appropriate way to report.
To understand whether the language used within the Case Note Review is applicable for the various care settings.
To help define an IT portal for the participants.
Feedback from the pilot has been invaluable in evaluating the proposal put together for the re-designed audit. From the feedback and findings, the information was used to contribute to the final design.
We’d like to thank all the participants that took part in the pilot - your feedback and insight is invaluable to the NACEL audit.
You can find out more about the NACEL 2023 Pilot on the NHS Benchmarking Network news page.
NACEL 2023 Pilot Underway in England and Wales
In anticipation of the full-scale launch of the National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) in 2024 and 2025, an essential pilot program is currently in progress throughout September 2023, spanning multiple locations across England and Wales.
This pilot initiative aims to rigorously test the revisions made to the NACEL since 2022, introducing critical changes such as increased data collection frequency, sample size adjustments, modified data points, and the implementation of a new interactive Data and Improvement Tool for reporting purposes. A detailed evaluation of the data and feedback gathered during this pilot phase will be carried out in October 2023. The evaluation will be pivotal in shaping the implementation of the 2024 enhanced audit.
The NACEL, which assesses the quality of care provided at the end of life for both patients and their loved ones, remains committed to the ongoing delivery of its fifth round, NACEL 2024.
NACEL 2024 represents a significant overhaul, featuring more frequent data collection, broader scope, revised data points, and a new reporting system designed to directly facilitate the enhancement of end-of-life care in hospital settings. The renewed focus is on understanding how the audit findings can be strategically employed at national and local levels to drive improvements, recognize successful initiatives, and support frontline healthcare professionals in implementing positive changes.
Data collection for NACEL 2024 is scheduled to commence in January 2024, with local findings to be reported back to participants on a quarterly basis. In preparation for the opening of data collection, the NACEL audit will open for registration at the end of October 2023.
Key Highlights for NACEL 2024:
The NACEL for 2024 and subsequent iterations will comprise the following five elements in England and Wales:
Quality Survey: Bereaved individuals will be invited to complete an online survey to assess the quality of care received.
Staff Reported Measure: Staff members who are most likely to interact with dying patients and their loved ones will participate in an online survey to provide their insights.
Hospital/Site Overview: Specific questions pertaining to the hospital or site under consideration will be addressed.
Case Note Review: A review of deaths over a specified period will be conducted.
Audit Summary: This section will encompass general information about deaths and participation in the NACEL.
NACEL 2024 welcomes participation from all NHS-funded acute hospitals and community hospitals. Detailed information regarding audit timelines and content will be available shortly.
For further inquiries or additional information about the audit, please do not hesitate to contact the NACEL Support Team at nhsbn.nacelsupport@nhs.net. Stay tuned for the key findings gathered from the pilot and for updates about NACEL 2024, as registration is shortly to open in late October 2023.
NACEL 2024: Update
The National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) is currently being redesigned, with the goal of providing more frequent and timely data to organisations and facilitating the use of this data to drive quality improvement.
There will be a pause on data collection in 2023, except in organisations participating in the pilot. Data collection will recommence in 2024 and will include all NHS providers of acute and community inpatient services in England and Wales
Mental Health providers of inpatient care will be included in 2025. Further correspondence and guidance will be sent out in the near future.
The Northern Ireland Public Health Agency eagerly await the roll out of NACEL 2024 in England and Wales, before reviewing commissioning arrangements with NHS Benchmarking Network to conduct NACEL 2024 in Northern Ireland.