End of life and palliative care

End of life care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their life.

End of life care should help you to live as well as possible until you die and to die with dignity. The people providing your care should ask you about your wishes and preferences, and take these into account as they work with you to plan your care. They should also support your family, carers or other people who are important to you.

End of life care includes palliative care. If you have an illness that can't be cured, palliative care makes you as comfortable as possible, by managing your pain and other distressing symptoms. It also involves psychological, social and spiritual support for you and your family or carers. This is called a holistic approach, because it deals with you as a "whole" person, not just your illness or symptoms.

St Luke's Six Steps for Quality End of Life Care accredited providers

Palliative care isn't just for the end of life - you may receive palliative care earlier in your illness, while you are still receiving other therapies to treat your condition.