BMJ  2007;334:809-810 (21 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39174.605081.80

Editorials

Palliative care in the community

UK programme shows promise but services also need adequate investment

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Primary care has a vital role in delivering palliative care.^{1 2} In most developed countries more people die in hospital than at home,³ although substantially more people would prefer to die at home.⁴ Primary care professionals play a central role in optimising available care, but they often lack the processes and resources to do this effectively.^{1 5}

The Gold Standards Framework for community palliative care⁶ is a primary care led programme in the United Kingdom that is attracting international interest.² The framework enables general practitioners and community nurses to optimise practice by providing guidance through workshops and locally based facilitation on how to implement processes needed for good primary palliative care. It is supported by a plethora of practical tools, guidance documents, and examples of good practice.⁷ It integrates many established aspects of primary palliative care: identifying patients systematically; naming a lead general practitioner and community nurse for each patient; coordinating multidisciplinary . . . [Full text of this article]

Health Services Research Institute, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL

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