5 Stages of Palliative Care

If you’re wondering what are the 5 stages of palliative care and want to know about palliative care in care homes, this article covers it. You can discover what good hospice care with a palliative care plan looks like and how to find end-of-life care near you.

Key Points

1. Palliative care focuses on enhancing quality of life for those with serious or terminal illnesses through a holistic, person-centred approach that addresses physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
2. The five stages of palliative care are: creating a care plan, emotional support, early-stage support & symptom management, end-of-life care and bereavement support.
3. Each stage aims to ensure comfort, dignity, and respect for individual wishes, with care plans regularly reviewed and tailored to the resident’s evolving needs.
4. In care homes, good palliative care provides comfort, reduced anxiety, personalised support, and compassionate continuity for both residents and their families before and after the resident’s death.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for someone with a serious or terminal illness. It is not just about end-of-life care in the UK, it can begin at diagnosis and continue alongside treatment.

“Good palliative care is all about a holistic, person-centred approach. It focuses on comfort, dignity and quality of life in the last months or years of life” says Melanie Taylor, evidence lead at the charity Hospice UK.  

Holistic support addresses physical symptoms such as pain, as well as emotional, social and spiritual needs.

“Palliative care is about flexibility and understanding what matters most to each individual at any given time” she adds.

Ms Taylor says “In care homes, this kind of care can make an enormous difference – helping residents live well and with meaning, while ensuring their physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met.”

What are the 5 stages of palliative care?

Palliative care in the UK typically follows 5 stages. 

The five stages of palliative care provides a roadmap for compassionate support – from early planning to bereavement care.

The 5 stages of palliative care are:

1. Creating a care plan.

2. Emotional support.

3. Early stage support & symptom management.

4. End-of-life care.

5. Bereavement support.

Understanding the five stages of palliative care helps families and care professionals plan ahead.

It provides emotional reassurance, and makes sure care home residents receive the best care.  

1. Creating a care plan

The first stage of palliative care begins with care assessment and the creation of a personal care plan.

In care homes, palliative care teams work with the care home resident, their family, GP and hospice service to create a care plan.

Staff work to understand a resident’s medical needs, emotional wellbeing and personal wishes for developing the palliative care plan that prioritises comfort and dignity..

A palliative care plan might include pain management strategies, daily care preferences, and details about future decisions such as resuscitation or preferred place of care.

Ms Taylor says: “Care homes providing good palliative care will have individualised care plans in place, tailored to each resident’s needs, wishes and preferences.

“Care is planned around what matters most to them, not just what their medical condition dictates. This ensures that every aspect of support – from medical decisions to daily routines – reflects each resident’s own wishes and sense of identity.

“These plans should be reviewed regularly so that as things change – whether someone’s condition, outlook or feelings – their care changes too.”

2. Emotional support

Once a care plan is in place, staff focus on providing emotional and practical support to help you come to terms with your diagnosis 

Care home staff, counsellors, and chaplains may work together to ensure someone feels supported.

Your family is offered guidance and respite support to help them cope with changing circumstances.

Ms Taylor says: “Residents should be supported to access emotional support, stay connected with family and friends, and continue any spiritual or religious practices that are meaningful to them.

“This kind of holistic support can help someone feel settled, understood and cared for in every sense.” 

3. Early stage support & symptom management

The 3^rd stage of palliative care sees symptom control become central. Care teams use medication and therapies to manage pain, fatigue, breathlessness or anxiety.

Care home residents benefit from continuity, e.g. familiar staff who know their personal routines and preferences. This can reduce someone’s distress and comfort them.

If a care home resident has mental capacity, they should be given opportunities to talk about and record their wishes for the future. This is called advance care planning. This might include preferences for treatment, where they would prefer to be cared for.

Ms Taylor says “Good palliative care means managing physical symptoms effectively. This includes pain, nausea, breathlessness and anxiety – so that residents are as comfortable as possible.

“But it also means thinking about more than just the physical aspects of care. Psychological, social and spiritual needs are just as important.

“Supporting people to have these conversations early, and at their own pace, means their choices are known and respected later on.

“When a person can’t speak for themselves, it is especially helpful to know from people who care about them and know them well, what their wishes would be.”

4. End-of-life care

When a resident reaches the final phase of life, care shifts to maintaining comfort, dignity, and peace.
Staff focus on relieving pain, minimising discomfort and providing emotional support to the resident and family.

Care homes may have dedicated end-of-life care suites or quiet spaces for families to stay close during this time.

5. Bereavement support

The 5th stage of palliative care involves supporting the family of a care home resident who has died.

Care home teams may offer counselling, memorial services or simply a listening ear to help families process their grief.

Staff in care homes are trained to give compassionate support. This ensures a resident’s life ends with dignity and their family feels cared for.

To acheive this, care home staff have regular palliative and end of life care training. Many take part in accredited programmes such as the Gold Standards Framework. 

How can palliative care help someone in a care home?

Good palliative care in care homes

Good palliative care can make a profound difference for care home residents:

• Improved comfort and quality of life.
• Reduced anxiety for residents and families.
• Fewer unnecessary hospital admissions.
• Personalised, dignified care that respects individual wishes.
• Stronger relationships between residents, families, and care staff.

With the right palliative care, care home residents can live their final months or years with comfort, compassion, and control over their care decisions.

Ms Taylor at Hospice UK says “Palliative care, when done well, ensures that people in care homes live with dignity, comfort and meaning, surrounded by compassion and supported by those who know them best.” 

Finding the right care home for palliative support

Many care homes listed on carehome.co.uk have dedicated end-of-life care suites for families to be able to stay close.

You can compare palliative care homes, read verified care home reviews and find palliative support in the UK on this website.

If you’re exploring care options for a relative or are planning ahead, you can find care homes offering end of life care and palliative support near you.