This report is part of a series commissioned by the Commission into
the Future of Hospice Care. It focuses on crucial factors for hospice
care planning such as UK mortality and other epidemiological data. It
shows that the number of UK deaths is predicted to escalate from 2015
onwards, especially for older people who are more likely to suffer from
chronic, debilitating conditions. It also presents the current evidence
on preferences for place of care and place of death in the UK. It also
discusses what is currently known about the effectiveness and
cost-effectiveness of hospice care, and highlights crucial gaps in the
evidence such as uncertainty about which models of hospice care work
better.
