137 Aligning service delivery activity with the ambitions for palliative and end of life care national framework: reflecting on progress to drive future improvements

<h3>Background</h3> The Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care framework (2021) provides a national vision for delivering personalised high-quality palliative care. It emphasises coordinated care, accessibility, and personalised support. Presented as six high-level ‘Ambitions’, it may be used to assess service provision, develop local strategies, support business cases, help shape learning and development. The aim of this quality improvement project was to evaluate local service delivery against the Ambitions’ standards and to identify areas for development and quality improvement. <h3>Methods</h3> Data evidencing activity against each of the six Ambitions were collected for the financial year 2023–24. Local service reports were evaluated including the 5 year strategic plan, operational policy, annual activity data, education, research and audit activity. Stakeholder engagement was achieved through a team multidisciplinary team workshop to ensure the whole scope of practice was included and agree on areas for future work. <h3>Results</h3> The service demonstrated significant alignment with the ‘Ambitions’, particularly in the systematic use of end-of-life care principles, continuous audit activity, and robust research and education portfolios. Areas of strength included individualised care, maximising comfort and wellbeing, coordinated care and staff preparedness. Areas for development were included in a prospective quality improvement plan and include improved communication options for non-English speakers and evaluation of carers’ needs. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Using a national framework to map service activity is an effective tool to develop local strategies that align with wider service providers, maintain accountability and drive continuous quality improvement. This project highlighted the service’s strengths and identified areas for improvement. It underpins strategic future quality improvement and service development projects to ensure we continue to meet the evolving needs of our patients and carers. This approach ensures our service remains responsive and aligned with national priorities in palliative care to provide equitable, coordinated, and responsive palliative care for all.