End of Life and Palliative Care Services Report 2019
It's not always easy to know how to talk about death and dying it can be a very difficult subject to discuss, but services can only improve if people feedback about what has worked well and what could be improved.
Summary
When someone is approaching the end of life, it is important that services provide all the care and support they need. No matter what setting a person is in, whether it be a hospital, care home or even their own home, it is vital that providers get it right.
We wanted to explore people’s views of End-Of-Life/Palliative Care services with a particular focus on Out-Of-Hours services in Telford and Wrekin.
Key Findings
- There were breakdowns in communication between services and professionals, resulting in some patients/relatives not receiving appropriate information/guidance. Others were not fully supported with adequate care or equipment, including the failure to organise the provision of necessary medication
- Some homeless people feel that they do not want to visit their Doctor because of the way they have been treated. Also, due to not having access to technology (phones, internet) they are unable to make appointments
- Communication between professionals and patients/relatives was good, they used appropriate language that was easily understood, and patients/relatives felt well informed
- People’s wishes were listened to and fulfilled
- Nurse Co-ordinators, Health Visitors, Nurses and Carers made the biggest impact, with most people stating they had positive experiences with these staff
- Some respondents felt specific staff attitudes in GP Practices made access to Doctors and prescriptions more difficult
- Language barriers were identified which impacted not only the patient but also their relatives
- Difficulties were identified in acute care, whereby staff shortages affected patients’ quality of care and their experiences of A&E
- West Midlands Ambulance Service provide good care; however, their waiting times had on numerous occasions left people stranded for hours
Downloads
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If you need this report in a different format, please get in touch:
info@healthwatchtelfordandwrekin.co.uk
01952 739540
