This dataset presents the annual percentage of registered deaths in England where the recorded place of death is the individual's home. It includes people within a specified age range and excludes neonatal deaths. The data provides insight into end-of-life care preferences and the extent to which individuals are able to die in their preferred setting.
Rationale
An increase in the percentage of deaths occurring at home may reflect improved support for end-of-life care in community settings and alignment with patient and family preferences. This indicator helps evaluate the accessibility and effectiveness of home-based palliative care services.
Numerator
The numerator includes the number of registered deaths by calendar year, area, and specified age range where the place of death is recorded as home. Only deaths occurring in England are included, and neonatal deaths are excluded. Data is sourced from the Death Register.
Denominator
The denominator includes the total number of registered deaths by calendar year, area, and specified age range. As with the numerator, only deaths in England are included, and neonatal deaths are excluded. Data is sourced from the Death Register.
Caveats
No specific caveats are noted for this dataset. However, interpretation should consider regional differences in access to home-based care and variations in recording practices.
External references
For more information, visit the Public Health England Fingertips Profile.
Localities Explained
This dataset contains data based on either the resident locality or registered locality of the patient, a distinction is made between resident locality and registered locality populations:
- Resident Locality refers to individuals who live within the defined geographic boundaries of the locality. These boundaries are aligned with official administrative areas such as wards and Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs).
- Registered Locality refers to individuals who are registered with GP practices that are assigned to a locality based on the Primary Care Network (PCN) they belong to. These assignments are approximate—PCNs are mapped to a locality based on the location of most of their GP surgeries. As a result, locality-registered patients may live outside the locality, sometimes even in different towns or cities.
This distinction is important because some health indicators are only available at GP practice level, without information on where patients actually reside. In such cases, data is attributed to the locality based on GP registration, not residential address.
Click here to explore more from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnerships Outcome Framework.