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Katherine Murphy , Chief Executive of the Patients Association has said:

“We are not surprised at the figures considering Britain is an aging society and many elderly people spend their last days in hospital due to their frail health. We are, however concerned that so many people are dying in hospital. The Patients Association strongly believes that all patients who are approaching the end of their life should be treated with dignity and respect. It is vitally important that patients (and their families) who are going through this difficult period, are given all the information that they need in order to make decisions about how and where they receive end of life care. Patients should be given a choice to decide where they want to die and appropriate arrangements must be made to ensure that their wishes about preferred place of death is adhered to.”

“We are strong advocates for the planning and provision of proper care plans for terminally ill patients, which for many will include remaining in their own homes. We agree with Professor David Clark, that hospitals need to be aware of the findings of this report, and that they need to adopt a more vigorous approach to identifying patients who are entering the last year of their lives and ensure that a proper end of life care plan in place. Dignity in dying should be the fundamental principle for providing care for patients at the end of their life and hospitals should take this seriously.”

Helpline: 0845 608 4455   

Email: helpline@patients-association.com