Who Provides End-of-Life Care in Care Homes?

April 21, 2014

(Nursing Times) – A study looked at the responsibility for end-of-life care in care homes without nursing staff. It highlighted that formal carers need support to care for frail older people. Most care homes in England do not have nurses on site and instead rely on visits from GPs and district nurses for primary care and referral to specialist services. It is often unclear whether responsibility for the provision of end-of-life care rests with the care home staff or external health professionals. In addition, identifying which care home residents are likely to die imminently and, as such, should be approached about end-of-life care can be difficult.