The PHSO report 'Dying without dignity' has been published

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has just published a report into the complaints it receives about bad experiences of dying when being cared for by the NHS, which is definitely a 'dignity issue'.

You can download the report from:

http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/reports-and-consultations/reports/health/dying-without-dignity

There is something in the report, which I have e-mailed the PHSO to ask about - my e-mail is self-explanatory, so I'll just show it here (I sent the e-mail the day after the report came out, and it will take some time before I get a reply [even if I do get a reply]):

phso.enquiries[at]ombudsman.org.uk

Dear Sir or Madam,

I heard the Ombudsman talking about your report 'Dying without dignity' on BBC Radio 4 yesterday morning, and I read the report yesterday evening (because I am engaged in 'this EoL debate').

Can you please clear something up for me ?

When you describe the 'Mr J' case, on page 15, you tell us that:

'Two months later, Mr J was admitted to hospital because he was struggling to breathe. Once he was on a ward, his pain relief was stopped because it was thought he was becoming too dependent on it. He was started on pain relief again the next day, but by that point Mr J was severely agitated and in pain. He died in the early hours of the following morning. '

In your 'findings' you state:

'Mr J's pain relief was inappropriately stopped'

I would like to be 100% clear, about what you are saying (further on, you write 'In addition, we found that the clinicians treating Mr J recognised that he was at the end of his life but did not explain this to his family in a way they could understand.').

Are you stating, that THE CLINICIANS WHO 'stopped his pain relief because they felt he was becoming too dependent on it' KNEW WHEN THEY WITHDREW the pain relief, that Mr J would die within a few days ?

Because IF THEY DID, then my comment is more 'visceral' than your 'inappropriately' - I've just sent an e-mail to Bee Wee at NHS England about 'Mr J' (see below my sign off),

Regards, Mike Stone

The PHSO says:

'Mr J's pain relief was inappropriately stopped ' AND later 'we found that the clinicians treating Mr J recognised that he was at the end of his life '. It isn't 100% clear, whether the PHSO are saying that the clinicans who withdrew the pain relief, knew that Mr J was in the final days of life - I intend to ask the PHSO (which doesn't mean I'll get an answer).

I don't apologise for my language, if they did - how the hell can someone be 'too dependent on pain relief' during the final days of life !!!