Over 40 per cent of hospitals offering poor end of life care

Over 40 per cent of hospitals are providing unsatisfactory end of life care to patients, according to data from the Care Quality Commission.

Data shows that, while some hospitals offer excellent care to the dying, too many are performing below expected standards, with 67 hospitals rated as requiring improvement and seven rated at inadequate.

The Patients Association has said it is ‘deeply concerned’ by the variation in end of life care highlighted by this data and has called on hospitals to improve palliative care.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “The Patients Association believes that end of life care should always be safe and dignified. As our population ages, providing a good standard of palliative care is becoming more important. Good end of life care requires early and careful planning so that patients receive care that focuses on the needs of the individual and their family.

“The Patients Association is deeply concerned about the variation in quality of end of life care that this data has highlighted. For patients receiving palliative care, there is only one chance to get treatment right and give patients safe and compassionate end of life care.There must be increased leadership and training to help staff provide humane care for dying patients.

“As the need for end of life care increases, the Patients Association calls for palliative care to be as accessible and efficient as possible. It is vital that hospitals have enough specialist staff who are equipped and trained to provide truly patient-centred end of life care.”