Too many die without dignity, says report on end-of-life care
Too many people are dying "without dignity" because of poor communication and inadequate services, a report says today.
The report of the NHS Ombudsman says there have been too many instances when families have been unable to say farewell to a dying person because of poor communication.
It sets out cases of poor pain management and inadequate out of hours services.
In one instance a woman dialled a hospital's accident and emergency doctor to find a doctor to administer pain relief to her son, the report reveals.
The ombudsman Julie Mellor said: "Our casework shows that too many people are dying without dignity.
"This report highlights the impact on patients and their loved ones, when the care and treatment of people nearing the end of their lives, falls short.
"Our investigations have found that patients have spent their last days in unnecessary pain, people have wrongly been denied their wish to die at home and that poor communication between NHS staff and families has meant that people were unable to say goodbye to their loved ones."
The Royal College of Nursing said the report highlighted the need for enough support for patients and their families.
Chief executive Dr Peter Carter said: "Had this support been available for the families in the report, the ombudsman’s intervention would not have been needed.
“Investment in services is vital in ensuring that more families do not experience unnecessary and preventable distress.”
* Growing numbers of people in England are spending their final hours in hospitals - but they are still a minority of patients, a report says today.
The study at King's College, London, shows that in 1993, some 3.4% of deaths took place in hospitals. This reached 6% in 2012.
Researchers said people from affluent areas tended to have better access to hospice care than those in poor areas.
Researcher Dr Katherine Sleeman said: "The annual number of UK deaths is predicted to rise, and policy makers and practitioners need to consider whether the current models of hospice care are best suited to the changing needs of an ageing society.
"It is concerning that trends suggest that when it comes to death in hospice, the gap between rich and poor is increasing. We must ensure that access to specialist hospice care is available to everyone."
http://www.theguardian.com/society/...e-without-dignity-report-end-of-life-care-nhs
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