Following the successful launch of the Department of Health’s End of Life Care questionnaire ‘Getting Your Views’ on 26 June, the response from the Isle of Man public has been excellent, with over 600 responses received within the first five weeks. Despite the high response rate, the Department’s End of Life Care Project Facilitator, Kirstie Turner, is calling on more of the public to give their views on this important subject, with the questionnaire having just three weeks left to run. Kirstie said: “This exceptional response rate demonstrates that people have appreciated and understood the importance of discussing death and thinking ahead. In addition, a number of people have contacted the Department to discuss the issues raised in the questionnaire. I cannot thank enough all those people who have responded so far – what they have told us is proving immensely valuable and that has made it more important than ever that we achieve as high a response rate as we can. I therefore urge everyone who can to take part by completing a questionnaire.” The questionnaire results will be analysed over the coming months, and will feed in to the development of the Island’s first ever End of Life Care Strategy. The public still have three weeks to complete a questionnaire and express their views, with the closing date falling on Monday 15th August. Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK said “This remains an excellent opportunity for the people of the Isle of Man to help the Department of Health create an End of Life Care Strategy. The strategy will of course draw on best practice, but the public’s views really will be fundamental to its development. This will be a strategy for the Isle of Man developed by the people of the Isle of Man, so I would encourage everyone to take a few minutes and complete a questionnaire, either a hard copy, or online at www.eol.im.” The questionnaires are available from · GP surgeries · Sea Terminal · Public Libraries · Commissioners’ Offices · Pharmacies · The survey can also be completed online at www.eol.im Those wanting more information or a copy of the survey can contact Kirstie Turner on 642625 or kirstie.turner@gov.im. - ENDS -