Portsmouth GP supports awareness week around end-of-life care

The annual event, running this week, aims to encourage people to talk about the subject and improve end-of-life care.

Dr Jon Price is the end-of-life clinical lead for Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group and supports the national awareness week.

He said: ‘It has been said the way we care for the dying is an indicator of how we care for all sick and vulnerable people.

‘It’s important we create a society where people feel empowered to talk about making a will, about how they would like to be cared for, and ensuring we can have dignity, control and peace in death.’

According to Ipsos/Mori polls from the past decade, 88 per cent of people want an open discussion of a terminal prognosis and around 90 per cent want to die at home, their care home or a hospice.

But figures from NHS Public Health Intelligence show only around one third of people have discussed death and dying with anyone.

Dr Price added: ‘Looking after people towards the end of their life is an important part of work by all GPs and community nurses - and some of the most rewarding.

‘The key steps to providing good care are identifying the patient is coming to the end of their life, carrying out care planning and having bereavement counselling available.’

For more information visit dyingmatters.org/