End of Life Care
End of life care helps people live as well as possible until they die, and to die with dignity. For care homes, this means supporting residents and their families through advance care planning, recognising when someone is dying, managing symptoms, and providing compassionate comfort. Care Handbook provides practical resources to guide care workers through this most important phase of care.
End of Life Care in Care Homes
The majority of care home residents are older people, many with advanced dementia or other life-limiting conditions. Research shows that around 30% of people who die in England each year die in care homes. Yet end of life care is often not given the attention it deserves in care home training and planning.
Good end of life care begins well before a person's final days. It starts with advance care planning — conversations about what matters to the person, what treatments they would or would not want, and where they wish to be cared for. These conversations should happen early, ideally when the person is still able to express their wishes clearly.
The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) and the Six Steps Programme provide structured approaches to end of life care in care homes. The CQC assesses end of life care under the “Caring” and “Responsive” key questions, and expects care homes to have systems in place for advance care planning, symptom management, and support for families.
Key frameworks: NICE guideline NG31 — Care of dying adults in the last days of life; The Ambitions Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care; The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) for Care Homes; The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (for advance decisions and LPA).
In This Section
Advance Care Planning
Support residents to plan their future care — including Advance Decisions, DNACPR, Lasting Power of Attorney, and recording wishes. Interactive printable form included.
Recognising When Someone Is Dying
Understand the physical and psychological signs that indicate a person is approaching the end of life, and how to provide compassionate comfort care.
Anticipatory Prescribing & Comfort Care
Anticipatory medications for common end-of-life symptoms, syringe driver overview, and comfort care measures to ensure dignity and relief.
Official End of Life Resources
⚠️ Important Notice
The end of life care guidance on Care Handbook is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, nursing, or legal advice. Always follow your care home's policies and procedures, consult the resident's GP or palliative care team for clinical decisions, and seek legal advice for matters relating to advance decisions, lasting power of attorney, or DNACPR. Every person's situation is unique and should be assessed individually.