In East Suffolk, our local End of Life (EOL) strategy priority is to support more people to achieve their preferred place of care and to deliver a reduction in the number of deaths in an acute setting. We have a shared local ambition between all partners to reduce in-hospital deaths by 50% over five years.

From January 2018 a new community based model of EOL care has been piloted in East Suffolk resourced by iBCF funding over 18 months. This model has built on the role of the local hospice, St Elizabeth Hospice, as a co-ordinating ‘hub’ to support patients, families and carers in their final stage of life and to support patients to die in their preferred place of care. Elements of the service model include:

• Increasing palliative care capacity in the system to include more health care assistants to provide in–reach service to the hospital and proactive care, coordinated by the hospice, in partnership with other providers;

• Expansion of the existing ‘One Call’ advice phone line to establish a care co–ordination centre;

• Developing a range of care homes accredited and actively supported by the local hospice to provide alternatives for direct admission as an alternative to hospital.

The interim pilot evaluation has demonstrated:

• A 10% reduction in number of hospital deaths;

• Calls to the advice line increasing from 1,300 to 1,900;

• Proactive working – to support admission avoidance and discharge from hospital;

• St Elizabeth Hospice Community nurse specialist team – there has been a 31% rise in demand for planned and reactive visits during 2018;

• 10 care homes have signed up to a scheme to be end of life accredited care homes.

The pilot has been extended for a further three months funded by the CCG and a final evaluation of the pilot is to be completed later this year.