A new report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has revealed that hundreds of thousands of dying hospital patients are suffering poor care in their final hours, with many not treated with dignity. The first national audit of palliative hospital care analysed the deaths of 6,500 people in 149 hospitals in England last May.
More than half of patients were never told they were nearing the end of their lives, and important decisions about nutrition were not discussed with patients or their relatives. Only one in five patients were asked by medics if they felt dehydrated before they died.
Professor John Ellershaw, of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute, described the findings as “unacceptable”, adding: “Too many patients are dying badly in our hospitals.” Claire Henry, chief of the National Council for Palliative Care and the Dying Matters Coalition, called the report “deeply disturbing”.
The audit says there are “significant” variations in care provided by hospitals across England, where half of the country’s deaths take place on wards. It claims major improvements are needed and that too many medics fail to communicate properly with dying people because they “do not recognise this as an important issue”.
Dr Kevin Stewart, chairman of the audit’s steering group, said he was “deeply concerned” at the problem. Care Minister Norman Lamb said he was “seriously concerned” at variations in care, while Prime Minister David Cameron claimed there was nothing wrong with the health service.
