New report highlights need for better end-of-life care

A new report from Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Julie Mellor has indicated that too many NHS patients are dying without the dignity they deserve.

The analysis indicated that end-of-life care could be improved for up to 355,000 people a year in England, with many cases of suffering that could have been avoided or lessened with the right care and treatment.

Key issues include poor communication with families, meaning they lose the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, or faulty planning leading to a lack of coordinated care.

Other common problems include inadequate out-of-hours service provision and poor pain management, meaning some people are spending their final days in pain when it can be avoided.

Ms Mellor said: "We are publishing this insight so the NHS can consider the lessons to help prevent similar cases from happening again."

The Royal College of Nursing responded to these findings by calling for more end-of-life care training to be provided to staff, while also highlighting the need for greater recruitment.