Recommendation 9

HM Government · verbatim extract Not Addressed

Reject While there is currently no formal government target of 90% for the percentage of individuals in the last year of life documented on the Palliative Care Register, the evidence suggests that between 0.75% – 0.9% of the population (so c.75% – c.90% of those that die in each year) could be identified as likely in the last 12 months of life so that is a stretch target that we would like to achieve by 2029, supported by the MSF. Register indicators have been income-protected in the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) since COVID-19, and their removal is intended to streamline the incentive scheme rather than reduce support for core clinical activity. We recognise that more work needs to be done on early identification. The MSF will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes. Areas of action have been identified for those commissioning and delivering services with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability. The metrics related to improving the identification of people with palliative care and end-of-life care needs are an important part of this. We are considering the target and metrics as we develop the full MSF in partnership with researchers and analysts.