This is a large print version of our Advance Decision pack for those who would might find it easier to read. It contains an Advance Decision form and comprehensive guidance notes explaining everything you need to know to complete it.

In this section you can view and download all of our factsheets, research and publications free of charge. To find what you need, click on the categories and topics on the right hand side or type into the search box.
If you can’t find what you need, or have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.
We are committed to providing up-to-date and accurate information, and are proud to have received accreditation from the NHS England Information Standard.
All of our printed information written for the public that meets these requirements carries the Information Standard logo.
Read more about how we produce our information.
This is a large print version of our Advance Decision pack for those who would might find it easier to read. It contains an Advance Decision form and comprehensive guidance notes explaining everything you need to know to complete it.
This Advance Decision pack contains an Advance Decision form and comprehensive guidance notes explaining everything you need to know to complete it.
This practical guide includes the information you need to understand how treatment and care decisions are made, how you can plan ahead to ensure you stay in control of these decisions, and who to talk to and share your wishes with.
This new booklet is designed to help people who have been recently diagnosed with a terminal illness find the information they need and ask questions, so that they can make informed decisions about their treatment and care – helping them to live well in the time they have left.
New research reveals that GPs lack sufficient awareness and understanding of Living Wills, with potentially damaging consequences for patients.
This factsheet explains what an Advance Decision is, what it can and can’t be used for, and the steps involved in completing one. This is applicable to people living in England and Wales.
This factsheet outlines the differences between Advance Decisions and Health and Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney. It explains how they work together and what happens if you want to have both documents. It is for people in England and Wales.
In late 2011/early 2012 Compassion in Dying contacted all Ambulance Trusts in the UK with a Freedom of Information request, which asked questions on their Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) policy, end-of-life care registration systems, out-of-hours care and the use of Advance Decisions (formerly known as living wills).
Prompted by callers to the Information Line – who voiced concerns that paramedics might not have access to their Advance Decision – we contacted all Ambulance Trusts in England and Wales to find out what systems they have in place to record patients’ medical treatment preferences in the event that they lose capacity and whether patient preferences are adhered to.
An Analysis of Calls to the Compassion in Dying End-of-Life Rights Information Line was conducted by Loughborough University. This study, which looked at in excess of 200 calls to Compassion in Dying, found that a major barrier to patients exercising choice was doctors’ failure to engage with patients about their Advance Decision and the lack of systems in place to record them.
An Analysis of Calls to the Compassion in Dying End-of-Life Rights Information Line was conducted by Loughborough University. This study, which looked at in excess of 200 calls to Compassion in Dying, found that a major barrier to patients exercising choice was doctors’ failure to engage with patients about their Advance Decision and the lack of systems in place to record them.
We wanted to learn more about whether patient choices at the end of life are respected if set out in an Advance Decision. We conducted a systematic review of research evidence which examined: To what extent are the medical treatment wishes laid out in preference tools respected?
In order to improve end-of-life care it is crucial to understand what patients and carers want from care providers. Secondary analyses of qualitative interviews with people caring for a dying relative were conducted to examine what co-ordinated, person-centred care at the end of life looks like, with an emphasis on the carer’s perspective.
In order to ensure our work is evidence based, we keep up-to-date with current policy and research. Alongside this we conduct our own research and information-gathering. Our Policy Manifesto sets out the challenges we have identified to enabling greater patient choice at the end of life, and what we envisage as the way forward.
A report which examines whether patients had record, or made known, their wishes recorded and if this impacted on whether they died well or badly.
Our new report details findings and recommendations from a pioneering project aimed at supporting Lambeth’s Portuguese-speaking communities to consider, document and share their preferences for care and treatment, thereby facilitating more meaningful discussions between Portuguese-speaking people and health and social care professionals.
The purpose of this toolkit is to support healthcare professionals’ understanding of Advance Decisions.
This is a secondary analysis of interviews with patients about their experiences of living with terminal illness, with a view to understanding how they approach decision making at the end of life.
In 2011, Compassion in Dying conducted a poll with YouGov on knowledge of end of life rights and choices. This poll found that 60% would want comfort care only if they were dying with no prospect of recovery in the last days and weeks of life, however only 3% had an Advance Decision which could state this. 53% wrongly believed that they had a legal right to make these kinds of decisions on behalf of their next of kin.
A poll commissioned by Compassion in Dying examining how people want to be treated at the end of life, and looking at people’s knowledge of their end-of-life rights and choices.
New research has revealed that one in five dying patients receive treatment their friends and family say they would not have wanted, with almost half (47%) feeling their loved one had a bad death.
Most people have some form of opinion about how they would like to be treated at the end of their lives, regardless of their identity or background. For LGBT people in particular, your identity might have an impact on the treatment and care you would like to receive.
Our new report details findings and recommendations from a pioneering project aimed at engaging the South Asian community in planning ahead for end-of-life care and treatment.
Our new report details findings and recommendations from a pioneering project aimed at engaging the Somali community in planning ahead for end-of-life care and treatment.
A YouGov poll, commissioned by Compassion in Dying, has found that 82% of people would want to be in control of life-prolonging medical treatments should they lose mental capacity. Only 7% would rather these decisions be made by a medical professional. However, the poll also revealed that only 4% of people have an Advance Decision or have appointed a Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare to ensure their medical treatment preferences can be respected.