Death and dying can be a very difficult topic to talk about. Whether the person is in hospital or being supported to die at home, there is only one chance for the providers of care to get it right.

Healthwatch Shropshire is asking if people would be willing to share their experiences of End of Life Care in the county.  For example, did you feel that the care your loved one received was what they wanted and expected? Were they treated with dignity and did they feel listened to and their wishes respected?

A recent Press Release from Healthwatch Shropshire states:

” It is really important that those providing the care are open and honest with both the patient and relatives.  Being better informed can reduce stress and anxiety and help people understand what to expect. Healthwatch Shropshire would like to know whether the language used by those giving the care was appropriate and did it prepare people for what was to happen? Were other ways of communicating found if the person’s preferences couldn’t be expressed verbally, either because of dementia or brain injury, for example?

Lynn Cawley, Chief Officer of Healthwatch Shropshire, said: “We are keen to build up a picture of how well End of Life Care is working across Shropshire and whether people feel that they received the right support for them.” 

“We want to find out whether care for the dying is equitable across the county and if there is a joined up approach between different services to End of Life Care including out of hours services”.

People can let Healthwatch Shropshire know about their experiences by telephone 01743 237884, by email enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk or online www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk. The more comments received the more influence Healthwatch Shropshire has to improve services for local people.”

Note: Healthwatch Shropshire is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Shropshire. It gathers the views and experiences of patients, service users, carers, and the general public about services including hospitals, GPs, mental health services, community health services, pharmacists, opticians, residential care and children’s services.  It also has statutory powers that it can use to influence service provision by encouraging improvements.