People’s experience of end of life care in West Yorkshire
Trigger warning – These documents include details about death and dying, which some people may find distressing to read.
The people in charge of the NHS in West Yorkshire approached Healthwatch after committing to developing an end-of-life care vision to ensure residents of West Yorkshire receive the support they need and can die in a place of their choice, with consideration given to what and who matters to them.
The NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (WY ICB) wants this vision to be informed by the experiences, positive or otherwise, of people who come into contact with end-of-life care services. It particularly wanted to hear the voices of people who experience inequality and inequity. WY ICB therefore commissioned Healthwatch in West Yorkshire to work together and gather the views and experiences of people living in each of the five places who receive end-of-life care or have a loved one who does.
What are the five places in West Yorkshire?
The five places are:
- Bradford and District (including Craven)
- Calderdale
- Kirklees
- Leeds
- Wakefield District
People’s views were sought concerning the six ambitions set out in the National Ambition for Palliative and End of Life Care framework so that the WY ICB can make changes to improve services across West Yorkshire.
What are the national ambitions for palliative and end-of-life care?
The ambitions were developed by statutory and voluntary organisations. It sets out its vision to improve end-of-life care through people working together between organisations at local level throughout England:
- Each person is seen as an individual.
- Each person gets fair access to care.
- Maximising comfort and wellbeing.
- Care is co-ordinated.
- All staff are prepared to care.
- Each community is prepared to help.
What next?
The NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board will use this feedback to shape the way end-of-life and palliative care services are delivered.
We’d like to say a sincere thank you to everyone who has contributed to this project and most of all thank you to the residents who shared their stories with us. We hope you feel this report does at least some justice and honours your wishes to make sure everyone is cared for well at the end of their life.
Summary of the report
This is not a report that can be summed up neatly in a few hundred words. We have heard about remarkably varied experiences across West Yorkshire. We also created a storybook containing a selection of stories from interviews that we conducted about their or their loved ones end of life care.
Click on the buttons below to read the report and stories.
Peoples-experience-of-end-of-life-care-in-west-yorkshire-report
Storybook-of-peoples-experience-of-palliative-and-end-of-life-care
Please get in touch if you require the report in a different format. Either call 0113 898 0035, email info@healthwatchleeds.co.uk or text 07717 309 843.