Recognise End of Life

You can ask the surprise question for older people in your care:

• “Would you be surprised if this person died in the next 12 months?”
• “Would you be surprised if this person died in the next days or weeks?”

If the answer is no, they may be approaching the end of life.

The SPICT™ (188b pdf) is often used on top of the surprise question. It can help you find out if people have serious health problems that are getting worse.

You can then review and plan for their care.

The SPICT-4ALL™ (190kb pdf) is another version which has simpler language and is designed for everyone to use.

If someone is “SPICT™ positive”, they will have:

• At least two general indicators AND
• One serious health condition.

This means that they may need end-of-life care as they could be at risk of dying within 12 months.

• Recognising that a person can benefit from end-of-life care is the first step to providing timely and quality care.
• Once recognised, it is an important chance to discuss and review the person’s palliative care needs, and plan to improve their quality of life.
• Recognising when someone is at the end of their life can help you have important conversations to prepare them and their family.