The ELCQuA is a free online self-assessment tool to support commissioning of end of life care services, and to support local service improvement. Any organisation that cares for people at the end of life can use the tool, including voluntary and private sectors, and health and social care sectors.
The enhanced tool allows users to:
- electronically self-assess and track progress against the NICE Quality Standard for end of life care
plan priorities for end of life care. - share good practice with other organisations
- make the best investment decisions to enable the delivery of high quality care for people at the end of life
- gather the information needed to complete Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other assessments.
Katie Lindsey, project manager at the National End of Life Care Programme, said: “The revised version of ELCQuA is designed to help a wide range of end of life care commissioners, providers and other stakeholders.
“It brings together all the relevant standards for end of life care, and supports users to commission and deliver services efficiently and in a collaborative way.”
The new version of ELCQuA includes:
- 42 quality measures across the 16 NICE quality statements, plus a section on raising public awareness of death, dying and end of life care
- alignment of all measures to the NICE quality standard for end of life care
- alignment of quality measures, performance indicators and the red/amber/green (RAG) ratings for each
- a mix of outcomes and process/structure indicators such the proportion of people approaching the end of life reporting that they are adequately supported to live independently and to maintain social participation
- specific quality measures for groups such as care homes, ambulance services and acute hospital trusts
- measures for patient reported outcomes.
The first version of ELCQuA launched in May 2011, and users included palliative care services, commissioners, local authorities, social care services, acute hospitals, ambulance services, primary care and community services.
Information on how to register to access the tool can be found on the ELCQuA website. For further information about the tool contact Kerry Archer-Dutton by email or phone 0116 222 1412.
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