Preparing for the future (end of life)
End of life care
End of life care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their life.
End of life care should help you to live as well as possible until you die, and to die with dignity. The people providing your care should ask you about your wishes and preferences, and take these into account as they work with you to plan your care. They should also support your family, carers or other people who are important to you.
You have the right to express your wishes about where you would like to receive care and where you want to die. You can receive end of life care at home, or in care homes, hospices, or hospitals, depending on your needs and preference.
People who are approaching the end of life are entitled to high-quality care, wherever they're being cared for.
- Find out more: End of life care - NHS (external link)
Palliative care
End of life care includes palliative care. If you have an illness that cannot be cured, palliative care makes you as comfortable as possible, by managing your pain and other distressing symptoms. It also involves psychological, social, and spiritual support for you and your family or carers. This is called a holistic approach because it deals with you as a "whole" person, not just your illness or symptoms.
Planning ahead - advance care planning
Planning ahead for the end of life is sometimes called advance care planning, and involves thinking and talking about your wishes for how you're cared for in the final months of your life. This can include treatments you do not want to have.
Planning ahead like this can help you let people know your wishes and feelings while you're still able to. Letting your family know about your wishes could help them if they ever have to make decisions about your care.
Useful links
- Why plan ahead (external link) - how you and your family, friends and carers can benefit from planning ahead for your future care.
- Advance statement (external link) - find out what an advance statement is, and how you can create one to let people know your wishes.
- Advance decision to refuse treatment (external link) - if you do not want certain kinds of treatment in the future, you can make a legally binding advance decision.
- Lasting power of attorney (external link) - find out how you can legally appoint someone to make decisions about your care in the future if you become unable to make decisions yourself.
- Making a will - GOV.UK (external link) - information on how to make a will.
- North London Hospice - Our care (external link). For general enquiries, you can call the North London Hospice on 020 8343 6806.
If you are approaching the end of life or caring for someone who is, and you want to find out about the care and support available, your first step is to speak to your GP or to call the number your healthcare professionals have given you.
Part of their job is to help you understand which services are available locally. You can ask about all sorts of help – for instance, there may be particular night-time services they can tell you about.