- The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has warned that dying patients and their loved ones are being "let down" by inadequate communication, a failing that is "adding to their grief”.
- A new PHSO report highlighted a case where a man, Mr O, learned of his terminal bowel cancer diagnosis from his GP, after an NHS trust failed to inform him directly.
- The PHSO said this delay “denied Mr O additional time to prepare for the end of his life”.
- Families also reported feeling dismissed or not properly listened to, with one family member of a dying person telling the PHSO: “There were comments around the fact that I was a nuisance… It was obvious anyway, that I was not welcome.”
- The Ombudsman, Paula Sussex, said: “There needs to be better information-sharing, record-keeping, and training that gives staff the confidence and support to have timely, honest conversations about prognosis and people’s wishes.”
IN FULL
Dying patients face ‘avoidable distress’ due to poor communication from professionals – report
