With the publication of the end of life care strategy there was a commitment to build on the VOICES (Views of Informal Carers - Evaluation of Services) work to support the development of a national survey of the bereaved. This aims to capture invaluable information about the quality of care provided to the deceased.
Professor Julia Addington-Hall, at the University of Southampton, was commissioned to undertake a pilot study to develop a revised VOICES questionnaire, to test its use in two PCT areas, and makes recommendations on how to best utilise this in a national survey. The report - VOICES Redesign and testing to inform a national end of life care survey - sets out the learning from this pilot, including an analysis of the pilot findings.
A toolkit has been developed as part of the pilot study to provide support to those organisations who have prioritised resources to undertake these local surveys. The toolkit describes the principal processes and considerations for successfully undertaking a survey of this type.