National survey asks people who have been bereaved about the end-of-life care provided to their loved ones

The National End of Life Survey - the first national survey of end-of-life care in Ireland – gets underway on Tuesday.

This survey asks people who have been bereaved, about the care provided to their loved ones in the last months and days of their life. The aim of the survey is to learn from people’s experiences of endof-life care in order to improve the services provided both to people who are dying, and to their loved ones.

The findings will provide valuable information on the standard of care provided at end of life, acknowledging what is working well and identifying areas where improvements are needed. Service providers such as hospitals, hospices and nursing homes will act on the findings and introduce improvements at local and national levels.

People who have been bereaved and who registered the death of a family member or friend that occurred between 1 September and 31 December 2022, will be invited to participate in the survey. They will receive an invitation letter and survey questionnaire in the post between March and May 2023.

IMPROVING SERVICES

HIQA’s CEO Angela Fitzgerald, said: “Through this new survey, the first of its kind in Ireland, we ask people who have been bereaved, about the care provided to a family member or friend in the last months and days of their life. The loss of a loved one is a major event in the lives of bereaved friends and families. While taking part in this survey may, of course, be difficult during such a challenging period in peoples’ lives, hearing directly from those who have been bereaved is vital to the success of this survey.”

“We want to learn from people’s experiences of end-of-life care provided in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and in the home, and to improve the services that are provided to people who are dying and to their loved ones. The responses that we receive as part of this survey will help us to ensure that the dignity of people who are dying and their loved ones will be at the centre of endof-life care in Ireland.”

The National End of

Life Survey contains 110 questions on topics such as pain management, respect and dignity, emotional support, communication with healthcare staff and the provision of information. The questionnaire can be returned in the post or completed online at www.yourexperience.ie.

The survey is part of the National Care Experience Programme — a partnership between the Heath Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health. To find out more about the National End of Life Survey, visit www.yourexperience.ie and follow online.