Positive experiences in care found in end-of-life survey

A survey into the quality of care provided to loved ones at the end of their lives found positive experiences across several areas.

The National End of Life Survey was conducted in partnership between the Health Information and Quality Authority, the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health following a recommendation of the Covid-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel.

Of the people who registered the death of a family member or friend that occurred between September and December 2022, 4,570 took part in the survey.

The survey found that most participants had confidence and trust in the healthcare staff who were caring for their relatives or friends.

They also felt staff explained their relative or friend’s condition and care in an understandable way.

Almost 74% of participants rated the care that their relative or friend received at the end of their life as ‘very good’, 15% rated it as ‘good’, while 11% said that their relative received ‘fair’ to ‘poor’ care.