Marie Curie launches end-of-life standards for community pharmacies

UK community pharmacies can now sign up to a set of standards for palliative and end-of-life care.

The new Daffodil Standards are the result of a partnership between the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and PIF member Marie Curie.

They are aimed at improving care for patients approaching the end of their life.

Pharmacy staff achieve this by using the standard’s evidence-based continuous learning framework.

The framework includes simple quality improvement steps. 

Community pharmacies will be able to display the daffodil mark to show their commitment to improving the care they offer. 

Over 3 years, they will work through self-assessment and activities for 8 individual standards. They cover:

• Professional and competent staff
• Early identification of patients and their carers
• Carer support, before and after death
• Seamless, planned, coordinated care
• Assessment of the unique needs of each patient
• Quality care during the last days of life
• Bereavement care after death
• Pharmacies as hubs for Compassionate Communities.

Member pharmacies commit to making improvements in at least 3 of 8 core aspects of care each year.

The new standards complement the Royal College of General Practitioners and Marie Curie Daffodil Standards already used by general practices.

Find out more on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society website here.