What are the resource implications?
End of life care spans both health and social care at the end of life with research showing that in England local authority funded social care was provided to around 28% of people within the last 12 months of life, with about 15% of all people having some residential or nursing care service. (Georgiou et al 2012). However many more people used hospital care (89.6%) than social care with a sharp increase in the final few months with hospital costs being approximately double those of social care services.
Estimates from the national EoLC programme (Sept 2012) suggests that there is a saving of £399 per saved admission ending in death (although this may be as high as £1480). This costing assumes that there is corresponding cost of support within the community.
For Central Bedfordshire in 2012, 934 (49%) deaths were in hospital, 782 (41.4%) at home and 143 (7.5%) in hospice. If the number of hospital deaths was reduced to 41% (which is achieved elsewhere in the region) then this would mean 154 fewer patients dying in hospital with a potential saving to the health economy of £61K. This is in addition to the benefits of better meeting patient choice.
Last updated Friday, 22nd April 2016