Case study:

23 June 2009

Real Choice, Best Care. A Directory for people facing advancing illness and at the end of life in NHS Tower Hamlets

Key points

NHS Tower Hamlets has produced two complementary end of life care directories, for patients and their carers and for the professionals involved in their care.

Real Choice, Best Care: a directory for people facing advancing illness and at the end of life includes personalised information sheets for patients and carers to use in their home as well as emergency guidance, an explanation of terminology and a full directory of resources. A separate directory, Real Choice, Best Care: a directory for professionals supporting those with advancing illness and at the end of life, has been produced specifically for professionals.

The directories, which were the result of a collaboration between the NHS Tower Hamlets, St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney and information management company ‘Info to Go’, were launched at the start of 2009.

Considerable work went into collating the directories, including engaging with local people and professionals and other representatives about existing gaps in information and reviewing other directories in other parts of the country.

The total cost of the project was £75,000, which was funded by the PCT. There were challenges in keeping the directories to a manageable size and ensuring that user views were fully represented. There were also some copyright issues to resolve around the best practice guidance.

It is planned to review the directory once feedback has been received from users. It is also hoped to produce a version that will be included on the local NHS website.