RCP Audit of End-of-Life Care in Hospitals (BBC News / RCP)

Summary

A joint Royal College of Physicians and Marie Curie review of end-of-life care in hospitals has discovered that only one fifth of hospitals provided specialist end-of-life care seven days a week. The same audit highlights deep concerns about the quality and consistency of care given to people dying in hospital. Communication, among other aspects of palliative care, is sometimes poor in these settings. This audit (which investigated 6580 patients and 858 relatives / friends) calls for major improvements to ensure better care for the dying and better support for families, carers, and friends.

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Reference

Triggle, N. (2014). End-of-life care ‘deeply concerning’. London: BBC Health News, May 15^th 2014.

Also of interest:

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Reference

Triggle, N. (2014). The NHS and ‘cradle to the grave’. London: BBC Health News, May 14^th 2014.

This relates to:

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Reference

National care of the dying audit for hospitals, England: national report May 2014. National Care of the Dying Audit of Hospitals. London: Royal College of Physicians, May 2014.

There is also an Executive Summary.

This audit is explored further by NHS Choices Behind the Headlines:

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Reference

Audit of NHS care for the dying published. London: NHS Choices Behind the Headlines, May 15^th 2014.