Ireland | Ombudsman publishes progress report into end-of-life care in Irish hospitals

Ombudsman Peter Tyndall today published his report into the developments in end-of-life care in Irish hospitals. The Ombudsman’s report was jointly launched with the Irish Hospice Foundation and the HSE who published an information booklet for the public: “When someone you care about is dying in hospital – What to expect”.

The Ombudsman’s report, “A Good Death: Progress Report”, is a follow-up to his 2014 report which described some of the issues raised in complaints his Office received and the impact on dying patients and their loved ones. The Progress Report highlights the many improvements in the provision of end-of-life care as well as some areas that need further attention.

Speaking at the joint launch, Ombudsman Peter Tyndall said: “The welfare and dignity of the dying person and their relatives must be our focus. It is encouraging to see the considerable progress that has been made in end-of-life care in recent years, through excellent partnership working. However, there are still some aspects of services that require attention and I look forward to seeing these addressed so that we can, as far as is possible, ensure that people dying in Ireland can do so with dignity, without pain and surrounded by their loved ones.”

The Ombudsman’s report highlights the developments in end-of-life care in Irish hospitals particularly in the areas of communication, specialist care, support for family and friends, and post mortem examinations. The report is a follow-up to “A Good Death”, published in 2014, in which the Ombudsman describes some of the issues raised in complaints his Office received in end-of-life care. The “Progress Report” highlights significant developments such as:

• Design and Dignity projects which have resulted in improvements in the design of hospitals for people at the end of their lives. Projects include new family rooms (picture attached), bereavement suites and improved mortuaries (see picture attached of Sligo University hospital and Mercy University hospital Cork);
  
  
• Participation by most hospitals in the Hospice Friendly Hospitals (HFH) programme - an initiative of the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF);
  
  
• The establishment of a joint oversight group by the IHF and the HSE to support the embedding of the HFH programme;
  
  
• A development framework by the HSE to direct the development of adult palliative care;
  
  
• The Compassionate End Of Life Care (CEOL) programme by the IHF to support staff in the residential care sector.

Source: Office of the Ombudsman, Ireland