Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
A growing number of patients requiring end-of-life care in hospitals is raising concerns about the capacity of treatment services this winter, according to regional NHS leaders. During a virtual meeting of health officials in Sussex, a palliative care consultant highlighted what she described as an impending “crisis.” The discussion, which the BBC later accessed through a recording, revealed the difficult decisions hospital managers face when some terminally ill patients receive end-of-life care in overcrowded A&E areas.
The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, which encompasses Worthing Hospital, Royal Sussex County Hospital, St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, and Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, was central to this discussion. Representatives from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, overseeing Conquest Hospital in Hastings and Eastbourne District General Hospital, joined along with community health professionals. On 4 November, the palliative care consultant presented a slideshow titled “Palliative and End of Life Care in Sussex,” outlining challenges such as limited hospice capacity and uncertainty about community support for patients discharged for end-of-life care outside the hospital. She expressed concern that some patients with treatable illnesses might miss out on hospital admission due to the strain of increased numbers of terminal patients occupying beds.
The consultant also addressed difficult choices regarding managing end-of-life care in emergency settings. She described the dilemma of admitting patients for care in hospital corridors or turning them away, potentially resulting in their passing during ambulance transport home. She noted that the focus is now only on transferring patients with complex needs, as those who are “just straightforward dying” are no longer prioritized for placement. Emphasizing that many patients remain in hospital unnecessarily while complex needs often remain unmet, she concluded with a stark warning: “We’ve all known this crisis is coming – it is getting worse and worse.”
An NHS Sussex spokesperson acknowledged the pressures facing emergency services but reassured that efforts continue to provide high-quality, compassionate palliative and end-of-life care. They highlighted the priority to offer care in community settings and hospices when possible, and to ensure patients receive appropriate support across health and care services. However, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine pointed out that delayed discharges linked to inadequate social and community care are significant challenges, leaving some patients needing end-of-life support unable to leave hospitals. Dr. Ian Higginson, the college’s president, voiced particular concern over terminal patients ending up in emergency departments and hospital corridors, places unsuited to their care needs. Meanwhile, hospice providers face funding pressures impacting their ability to expand community care efforts, which in turn affects hospital capacity. Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, remarked on the dedication of NHS staff but stressed that busy hospital wards are often the wrong environment for most dying patients, especially as cuts to hospice community services create ripple effects throughout the healthcare system
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.