End of life care: requires improvement

R3. How are people supported at the end of their life to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death?

Characteristics of services we would rate as requires improvement in this area

The service does not recognise, or has little consideration for, people's individual religious, social and cultural diversity or values and beliefs, and how these may influence wishes and decisions about their end of life care, so these are not recorded or acted on.

People's end of life care needs are not re-assessed regularly.

Staff are reactive rather than proactive and do not always work closely with healthcare professionals when people are dying, so palliative care is not always available.

Staff are aware of people's end of life care needs but may not always appreciate the need for good end of life care and respond in good time.

Support, equipment and medicines are not always provided in good time.

The service does not always offer support to people’s family, friends and other carers, or staff, before and after a person dies.