Date published: 20 May 2015 by Anna Jackson

Rainbow Trust welcomes the publication of the health ombudsmen report into end of life care, ‘Dying with Dignity’ published today (Wednesday 20 May).

The report highlights repeated NHS failings in the providing dying patients and their families the care they need. The Ombudsmen’s ‘Dying Without Dignity’ report concluded that it had:

• found too many instances of poor communication
• poor pain management and
• inadequate out-of-hours services.

Commenting on the report, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity Director of Care Anne Harris, said

‘We welcome the commitment from the government that improving end of life care remains a priority for the new government. The report gives a number of examples of distressing end of care which are clearly unacceptable. If the situation is to improve, it demands closer working with organisations such as Rainbow Trust. As the leading provider of vital emotional and practical support to direct to families who have a terminally ill child in England we give families a real choice and control to choose the place of care and death for their child.’

More about the health ombudsmen’s report on the BBC News Website