A new survey commissioned by the Department of Health aims to gauge the quality of end of life care in England. The project, which is being administered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will involve sending a postal survey to 49,000 individuals who registered the death of a loved one between November 2010 and June 2011.

Questions will relate both to the quality of care that the loved one received and also the support available to the respondents themselves. The results of the survey will inform the DoH End of Life Care Strategy which aims to improve the care available to people dying from long-term illness.

The results of the survey should be made available in March 2012.

Read the 2008 End of Life Care Strategy here.