Hospitals should not be the “default option” for end of life care Former Conservative party leader Lord Michael Howard has said that hospices should play a greater role in providing end of life care, to stop hospitals becoming the “default option”. Currently, half of people die in hospital, despite 80% preferring not to. Lord Howard, who … [Read more…]
Dying patients receiving free end of life care could save NHS money Macmillian Cancer Support has suggested that the NHS adopt a free end of life social care system, in a bid to provide more efficient care as well as save money. The ideas put forward by the charity could potentially save the NHS £69 … [Read more…]
Over half of doctors revealed they felt hesitant about discussing palliative care A new study has shown that 52% of healthcare providers do not feel confident enough to talk about end of life care with their heart failure patients. The research, which surveyed 50 physicians and 45 nurse practitioners or physician assistants in America, also found … [Read more…]
Variation in standards of care for dying hospital patients causes concerns The quality of care for end of life patients in hospitals has been labelled as “deeply concerning” by doctors who recently carried out a standard of care review. The audit of English hospitals revealed that only a fifth of hospitals provided end of life care seven … [Read more…]
