Background Measuring outcomes in palliative care poses a unique challenge given the nature of patients’ end of life journeys. Previously, hospices have counted activity rather than analysing outcomes. Implementation of the Outcome Assessment & Complexity Collaborative (OACC) suite of measures in clinical practice offered an opportunity to improve on this by recording patients’ symptoms, concerns and performance of everyday tasks.

Aim(s) This project aimed to analyse OACC data from patients cared for between April 2021 and March 2023 and give a quantitative assessment of their outcomes, building on work by St Christopher’s Hospice and Hull York Medical School.

Methods The study focussed on Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) measures, a questionnaire asking patients to rate symptoms and concerns they are facing. IPOS measures from community and inpatient settings were used to analyse a patient’s experience through different stages of care. The initial IPOS measure for each patient was compared with an IPOS measure taken in a later phase of illness to assess the impact of care provided.

Results Data from 315 inpatients and 2,448 community patients was analysed. The results showed that receiving hospice care correlated strongly with a reduction in physical symptoms and other concerns experienced by patients. This was particularly significant in inpatient settings where higher intensity care is provided – e.g. 90% of patients experienced a reduction in vomiting and anxiety. A greater impact was seen in patients experiencing more severe symptoms initially, with almost 100% having a substantial reduction in nausea.

Conclusions This analysis provided a wealth of information that is now being used to inform clinical practice and priorities. It also provides an important baseline for assessing the impact of future changes in a quantitative manner, and helps demonstrate the impact of our work to the public and partner organisations.