RCN calls for end of life care to be available for all
Published: 26 November 2008
Responding to the National Audit Office report on end of life care, Sue Thomas, RCN Nursing Adviser said:
“It’s vital that quality, compassionate end of life care is available to everyone across the country but all too often we hear that support, services and advice needed for both patients and their families are not available. A combination of the lack of community resources and appropriate training in end of life care can mean that, all too often, support breaks down and people nearing the end of their life find themselves being admitted to hospital when most would prefer to stay at home.
“If we want to improve and extend services we have to address the dramatic variations in the funding of palliative care services and we have to prioritise training for staff in all settings. Caring for people during the last stage of their life requires specialist skills yet our own research shows that there is a woeful lack of investment in this area for nurses and other healthcare staff, both pre and post registration.”
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Notes to Editors
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Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.