Healthwatch England shares feedback on end-of-life care
End-of-life care is currently under scrutiny as parliamentarians debate proposed legislation on assisted dying.
Healthwatch England looked at what people were saying about the topic.
A recent report commissioned by Marie Curie highlights that 90% of people who die each year could benefit from end-of-life care. However, access to and quality of this care is variable, with people reporting long waits for referral, understaffed teams, and a lack of advanced care planning.
What mattered most?
Researchers found four key themes that matter most to dying people and their relatives or carers.
- Timely access to end-of-life care
- Good coordination between different services
- Rapid and round-the-clock access to pain and symptom control
- The importance of staff attitudes
Healthwatch will share this evidence with the Commission for Palliative and End-of-Life Care, which is currently seeking evidence to identify the strengths and shortfalls in the provision of and barriers to access to palliative care.
