Patients and Carers
Welcome
Welcome to the National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) information page for patients and carers. This page offers information about the Patient and Carer Tool.
What does the NACEL Patient and Carer Tool show?
The Patient and Carer Tool shows how individual hospitals in England, Wales and Jersey are doing on care at the end of life, based on NACEL data. It reports on five areas:
- Whether patients' clinical notes show they took part in conversations about their personalised care and support planning.
- Whether patients' clinical notes show that staff assessed the spiritual, religious or cultural needs of those important to the patient (or recorded a reason if this wasn't possible).
- Whether bereaved people report that the dying person was given enough pain relief.
- Whether bereaved people rated the overall care and support given to themselves and others by the hospital as excellent or good.
- Whether the hospital or site has face-to-face specialist palliative care (from a doctor and/or nurse) available 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Who this tool is for
This tool is for people who wish to understand how care at the end of life in their local hospital compares with other hospitals and the national picture.
Why you may be here
You may be looking at this page because you, or someone close to you, is dying. If you have any concerns about the care that is currently being received, first try speaking directly to staff or the ward manager.
If unresolved, contact the hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
Feedback, compliments and complaints
If you would like to share feedback about your experience at your local hospital, or make a complaint, please contact the hospital directly. All hospitals have a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). This service may have a different name at your hospital, such as the Patient Feedback Service or Patient Support Service.
You can find information about the NHS feedback and complaints process for your region below:
Help and support
If you are visiting this page after a recent bereavement, please accept our sincere condolences to you and those close to you. We hope the information here is helpful.
If you need urgent help or bereavement support, please use the buttons below to go straight to the right section.
Glossary
Medical language around death and dying can be confusing. You can find a glossary explaining common medical terms about death and dying via the link below.
GMC Glossary of Terms: End of Life Care Explains common medical terms used in treatment and care towards the end of life. Opens on the GMC website in a new tab.Feedback about this website
If you would like to give feedback about this website and its information, please use the link below. Your feedback helps us improve this page for patients, families and carers.