. Staff having to 'learn on the job' how to break the news because of 'inadequate training'

. Many doctors are ‘inadequately trained’ in end-of-life care, a report says 

. Some doctors even refuse to tell patients how long they have left because they are afraid of how the person will react to the news

. Patients are treated without compassion or as individuals, the report warns

 

Doctors are too afraid to tell patients they are dying, a damning report warns. They are having to ‘learn on the job’ on how to break the devastating news that patients are terminally ill. Some refuse to tell patients they are nearing death because they are so worried about the reaction.

 

Doctors also fear being asked the inevitable question, ‘How long do I have left to live?’, because it is almost impossible to predict. The report warns of ‘completely unacceptable’ failings in end-of-life care across all areas of the NHS. Many doctors have been ‘inadequately trained’ and patients are treated without care, compassion or as individuals.

 

Elderly patients who live alone are being ‘bounced into hospital’ and made to ‘end their short lives’ on unfamiliar wards. Care home staff are effectively ticking residents off the list as soon as they die and absolving themselves of all responsibility.

 

The stark findings come a month after the NHS watchdog was forced to issue new end-of-life guidance instructing staff how to treat patients with compassion. Officials at NICE admitted they were worried some doctors were still using the now abolished Liverpool Care Pathway, where food and water is withdrawn from patients nearing death.

 

Today’s report is published by the British Medical Association, the professional body of doctors as well as the union which organised this week’s strike. It is based on detailed interviews with 526 doctors, patients and relatives, in ten locations in Britain about their experiences of care.

 

Dr Ian Wilson, who chaired the report, said: ‘This further evidence that the provision of end-of-life care remains variable, dependent on a patient’s geographical location, their condition, and their knowledge of local services.

 

‘One member of the public who had recently suffered a bereavement described the quality of end-of-life care as a postcode lottery – a sentiment shared by the public and doctors alike. This is completely unacceptable. ‘What came through loud and clear during the study was that people want to be treated as individuals, with care and compassion, and it is very important to many people that their families are involved in the process, but the current system doesn’t always enable this.’

 

One doctor admitted his profession was ‘failing patients’ by refusing to discuss death, thereby not allowing patients and loved ones to prepare. ‘We are not even mentioning the word. So it all comes as a huge surprise. We should be far more frank,’ he said. A GP added: ‘Some consultants won’t tell the patient (he or she is terminally ill), partly because they’re afraid what the patient’s reaction will be.’

 

Another revealed how elderly patients who lived alone were rarely allowed to die in the dignity of their own homes. ‘There isn’t the care available to look after them. You need carers to be there to hold their hand,’ the doctor said. ‘The default method is to bounce them into hospital and tragically they end up spending the rest of their short life there.’

 

By Sophie Borland,

Dailymail