UK is ranked top out of 40 countries on quality of death thanks to hospice network

A new quality of death index has shown substantial variations in end of life care in different countries across the world, with the UK ranking top because of its hospice care network and statutory involvement in the care of people who are dying.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, the business information arm of magazine the Economist, devised the quality of death index to rank countries according to the provision of end of life care services. It includes 24 indicators that evaluate quantitative measures such as life expectancy and healthcare spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), qualitative factors such as public awareness of end of life care and status indicators, including the existence of a government led national palliative care strategy.

Analysis of the quality of death index for 40 different countries found that the UK had the top score. Despite achieving a low ranking (28th) on the …