Practices are being encouraged to adopt new standards for end of life care amid concerns that they struggle to provide support for the bereaved.

The “Daffodil Mark” was launched last night by the Royal College of GPs and the charity Marie Curie. It came as a survey found that 85% of GPs said they do not have as much time as they like to provide care for terminally ill patients.

Most practices also struggle to provide support for staff affected by the loss of patients, the survey found. 71% of doctors said there should be more resources for this – and just 2% said they had formal support sessions on handling grief and loss.

The survey, by pollsters ComRes, found that 92% of GPs said that it is important they spend time caring for terminally ill patients – while 87% said that providing this care is a “rewarding” part of their job.

The eight standards that lead to the Daffodil Mark include providing care after death and providing seamless, planned, coordinated care for the terminally ill.One standard says that practices should be “hubs within compassionate communities.”

Dr Catherine Millington-Sanders, who has led the project, said: “Our colleagues are already working hard to provide this level of care, but pressures on our system and a lack of resources in the community can sometimes make going the extra mile that bit harder, which can be incredibly frustrating for us and our teams.

“That’s why the RCGP and Marie Curie have developed these Standards. Most importantly, they are there to ensure that when patients see the ‘daffodil mark’ in our window or on the wall in our waiting rooms, they know we are committed to providing the care and support they need and deserve.”

Marie Curie chief executive Dr Jane Collins said: “From talking to families we know that GPs and practice staff make such a difference to how patients and families experience end of life care. Having someone they can go to who they know well, trust, and help them prepare for the future, is vitally important at such a difficult time.

“It is also clear from the survey findings that GPs recognise how important their role is and how rewarding they find this part of their work. The new standards will play a key role in excellent end of life care and ensure that busy GPs and practice staff have the support they need to improve the quality of care provided.”