Sue Ryder responds to latest Marie Curie and Nursing Standard end-of-life care research
Sue Ryder responds to stark new research from Marie Curie and Nursing Standard which reveals that more than half of healthcare staff have delivered end-of-life treatment to patients in hospital corridors or temporary spaces.
This means that many patients who die in hospitals are doing so without the comfort and dignity they deserve.
A joint poll by Marie Curie and Nursing Standard of 1,153 nurses and healthcare professionals across the UK found that 55% had treated patients in corridors or other non-clinical areas.
As part of the research, a practitioner remembered trying to resuscitate a terminally ill cancer patient who ultimately passed away on a bathroom floor.
They said: "We were never going to get her back. She died on the floor in the bathroom, undignified, family hysterical, staff all left traumatised."
"We were never going to get her back. She died on the floor in the bathroom, undignified, family hysterical, staff all left traumatised."
A practitioner involved in the research
In response to this stark research, our Chief Nursing Officer Jane Turner, said:
"No one should spend their final moments in a crowded hospital corridor, without privacy, comfort or dignity.
"And no family should have to say goodbye to someone they love in such distressing circumstances.
"Behind every story of corridor care is a real person at one of the most vulnerable times in their life, with their loved ones desperately trying to make the most of their final moments together.
"The right care, in the right place and at the right time should be the norm, not a luxury. This is why at Sue Ryder we believe that death and grief deserve better."
Sue Ryder's proposed new ecosystem outlines how to reform palliative and end-of-life care to ensure more people get the care they need.
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