First I will define what I conceive medicine to be. In general terms, it is to do away with the sufferings of the sick, to lessen the violence of their diseases, and to refuse to treat those who are overmastered by their disease, realising that in such cases medicine is powerless.

Most clinicians felt strongly that end-of-life care should be part of their core business, but it appears that this is not always usual practice. Outsourcing end-of-life care to the medical emergency team, the palliative care team or the intensive care team appears to be common practice.

Do people die well in this hospital? They absolutely do not. People are allowed to linger for far too long, in far too much pain, and causing far too much distress to themselves and their family and the people who care for them… The current situation, to speak frankly, is completely unacceptable.

Read More