Only 5% of British people have made advance care plans, survey finds

Most people in Great Britain have not discussed or made any plans for when they die, increasing the likelihood that they will receive inappropriate care at the end of life, a new study has found.

The survey for the Dying Matters Coalition found that most people were leaving it too late to make their wishes known with regard to their end of life care. This created difficulties for families in making suitable arrangements and made it harder for them to cope with bereavement, the coalition said.

This is despite the fact that almost two thirds (63%) of respondents said they had been bereaved in the last five years.

The findings were based on face to face interviews with 2145 adults as part of the British Social Attitudes survey, the annual survey of more than 3000 people in England, Wales, and Scotland.1 The findings showed that 70% of people were comfortable talking about death but that only 11% had outlined their wishes or made plans for their funeral.

Only a third of respondents (35%) had made a will, down from 39% in 2009, and just 28% said that they were registered as an organ donor or had a donor card.

Only 5% had made an advance care plan setting out how they would want to be cared for if they couldn’t make decisions themselves.

Although the latest NHS figures show that more than half of people currently die in hospital, only 7% of respondents to the survey said they would prefer to die in hospital, with more than two thirds (67%) saying that they would prefer to die at home.

Despite the findings, the Dying Matters Coalition said that a comparison with similar research carried out in 20092 indicated that older people were becoming more likely to make known their wishes about arrangements at the end of life.

Eve Richardson, chief executive of the Dying Matters Coalition and the National Council for Palliative Care, said, “It’s encouraging that older people are becoming more comfortable discussing dying and their end of life wishes, but as a nation too many of us are still shunning the conversations that can help avoid heartbreak and regret at the end of life.

“You don’t have to be ill or dying to make plans for your future, which is why we are calling on people across the country to take practical steps by writing a will, recording their funeral wishes, planning their future care and support, considering registering as an organ donor, and telling loved ones their wishes.”

Mayur Lakhani, chairman of the Dying Matters Coalition and a GP in Leicestershire, said, “There are powerful benefits of having early conversations with people who are approaching the end of their life, as it puts them in control and gives a chance to resolve any life issues. It also means that plans can be made for people to get the care and support that is right for them.”