National End of Life Survey (2023)
In 2023 Ireland’s first National End of Life Survey (NELS) was carried out. The national survey asked bereaved people about the care provided to their loved one in the last months and days of their life.
Individuals who registered the death of a relative or friend between 1 September and 31 December 2022, were invited to participate in the survey between March and May 2023 with 4,570 bereaved family members and friends completing the survey.
The purpose of the survey was to learn from people’s experiences of end-of-life care to improve the services provided both to people who are dying, and to their loved ones, acknowledging what is working well and identifying areas where improvements are needed.
Irish Hospice Foundation NELS Reports and Resources
Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) were proud to support and fund part of the delivery of the survey. Read more about why it is important to our work in our press release welcoming the report.
The results of the NELS are now available to view here.
You can also view the report via the Flipbook below.
Since the launch of the NELS, IHF have used the findings to produce reports and resources that further explore aspects of end-of-life care.
Learn more about these resources and reports below.
NELS Infographics
This series of infographics can be used to promote awareness about issues related to end of life and grief experiences based on some of the key findings from the NELS report. If you wish to use the infographics, please refer to and apply these guidelines before doing so.
To view or download the NELS Infographics, please access the public folder below on IHF’s Dropbox. You do not need a Dropbox account to access these resources.
Using findings from the NELS this report brings together national and international research and data to examine the current realities of dying, death and bereavement in Ireland, revealing emerging trends in these areas, highlighting concerns, and actions and recommendations that will deliver improvements.
In October 2025, the Alliance of Age Sector NGOs launched the third edition in the Telling It Like It Is series – Experiences of Older People at End of Life 2025. The report interrogated the experience of older peoples’ care using the findings from the NELS and proposed several recommendations.
This report examines the key factors influencing how respondents to the NELS rate the quality of care their loved ones received in hospitals during their final three months of life. These findings help prioritise improvements in hospital care, based on what bereaved respondents value most.
A summary poster version of the report findings is also available here>>
A key finding in the NELS was that 29% of family and friends who had children or young people in their family, indicated they were not provided with enough help and support by healthcare staff to talk to them about their loved one’s illness. To respond to this gap in care a resource was produced in collaboration with the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network and healthcare programmes in IHF.
