- 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.”
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