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<p>It is not the case that only 19% of National Health Service trusts offer palliative
care. The latest National Clinical Audit of Care of the Dying (2014) showed that,
of the 131 trusts surveyed, all trusts offered at least a five-day face-to-face specialist
palliative care service, including 21% of trusts offering at least a 7-day face-to-face
service. 91% of trusts offered an out-of-hours specialist palliative care telephone
service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Effective pain control is one of the key elements
of palliative and end of life care, as noted in <em>One Chance to Get it Right</em>,
the report published in June 2014 by the Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying
people. The Five Priorities for Care of the Dying Person, which are set out in that
report, state that an individual plan of care, which includes pain relief as part
of symptom control, should be agreed, coordinated and delivered with compassion for
every person approaching the end of life.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Priorities
for Care also highlight the importance of sensitive communication, and state that
discussions involving staff, people nearing the end of life and those close to them
should be conducted in a way that maximises privacy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We
would expect NHS organisations and staff to do all that they can to ensure that this
happens for all people nearing the end of life.</p><p> </p>
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