Chaos in the NHS stops people from dying with dignity

The elderly and terminally ill are being denied the right to die with dignity because of the shambolic NHS, a report said yesterday.

The vast majority of people who are dying say they want to spend their final days at home.

But most are being forced into hospital in their last weeks, even if they have no medical needs.

The report slammed the lack of co-ordination between the NHS and social services and said there is inadequate training in hospitals and care homes.

People are being left to die in wards because of a lack of support to get them back home, while family members are caring for sick and dying relatives without any formal help.

The damning National Audit Office study also discovered huge differences in what primary care trusts spend on palliative care, with some forking out as little as £154 per person.

This report shows massive regional disparity in the amount spent on end-of-life care – that in itself is cause for concern

Shadow Health Minister Stephen O’Brien

Karen Taylor, the director of health studies at the NAO, said that “services are not meeting people’s needs” and described co-ordination as “poor”.

The lack of proper care for patients has also been highlighted by the Daily Express Respect For The Elderly crusade.

Shadow Health Minister Stephen O’Brien said: “This report shows massive regional disparity in the amount spent on end-of-life care – that in itself is cause for concern.

“Coupled with the lack of training given to frontline professionals, it gives severe cause for anxiety. For all the Government’s claims, they are still not properly planning and funding end-of-life care. Most notably, their ongoing failure to reform social care is having a knock-on effect on palliative care.”

Tory MP Edward Leigh, the chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said: “Dying people are often not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve and their wishes are often disregarded.

“Most people want to die at home. Most die in hospital. They and their carers can be put through unnecessary stress at what is already an extremely emotionally demanding time.”

The report has demanded that people get more support to help them stay at home or to get home quicker after a hospital stay. Additional training for care home staff could help to reduce emergency admissions, according to the report.

It also said that medical staff should be trained so that they become better at identifying people who are close to dying and know how to support them.

Gordon Lishman, director-general of Age Concern, said: “Most people die in hospital but the standards of basic care at the end of life are sometimes poor.

“This means that older people suffer needlessly and families are left with a huge sense of guilt.

“Age discrimination continues to haunt older people even at the end of life.”

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?