Abstract
Proactive, shared decision making between key professionals and sensitive communication with patients, and those important to them, can never be overestimated. Projected annual deaths in England and Wales are set to rise, highlighting the increasing need for high quality palliative and end-of-life care. The Royal College of General Practitioners and Marie Curie have worked in partnership to develop the Daffodil Standards, an evidenced-based, structured approach for practices using quality improvement methodology to help improve care for patients at an advanced stage of serious illness or approaching end of life.