Royal College of Physicians (RCP) end-of-life care audit, 2016
| The RCP audit reported on 9302 deaths from 142 trusts in England. |
| > Common symptoms: The audit found documented evidence that pain was controlled in 79%; agitation/delirium in 72%; breathing difficulties in 68%; noisy breathing/death rattle in 62% and nausea/vomiting in 55%. |
| > Hydration and swallowing: The audit found that 67% of dying patients had an assessment of their ability to drink in the last 24 hours; 45% were supported to drink; and 39% were recorded as drinking on their last day of life. Clinically assisted hydration (CAH) was in place during the last 24 hours before death in 43% of patients overall but there was wide variation between hospitals in the assessment of patients’ need for CAH. |
| > Access to specialist palliative care: The audit found that 97% of participating trusts reported having their own specialist palliative care service but, while the majority offered round-the-clock telephone support, only 11% of trusts offered a 24/7 face-to-face visiting service. Furthermore, 26 trusts had no level of medical out-of-hours availability. |