Not enough staff in Ayrshire to care for dying

Aug 29 2008

AYRSHIRE has the lowest ratio of specialist care staff in Scotland, a new report has revealed.

Access to palliative care – for patients suffering terminal illness – is well below the national average.

The damning verdict, delivered by spending watchdog Audit Scotland, shows NHS Ayrshire and Arran propping up the Scottish league table with only 4.1 specialist staff per 100,000 people.

That falls below the national average and has led to calls for swift action to help ease the pain of those suffering.

Ayr MSP John Scott admitted: “The report highlights that, while in Ayrshire a palliative care strategy was completed in 2004, we are the only mainland board area in Scotland where no palliative care Needs Assessment has been undertaken.

“As Audit Scotland asserts, a needs-based strategy is important in helping ensure that efforts to improve palliative care are not ad hoc.

“While health boards are required to gather views from local people on palliative care, NHS Ayrshire and Arran are amongst eight boards who gather those views less frequently than every three months. And the report claims there is little evidence that the NHS boards use the views they gather to improve the planning or delivery of services.”

It was Ayrshire and Arran’s position as the worst health board in Scotland for specialist staff that drew most criticism, however, with the Highlands having almost three times the number of staff per 100,000 heads.

The report has put the spotlight on the level of care provided for patients as they live through incurable illnesses.

Mr Scott added: “Audit Scotland does however, quite correctly, draw attention to the excellent palliative care provided by the voluntary sector, and we are obviously very well served here in Ayrshire by the efforts of the Ayrshire Hospice, which is financially supported by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

“The key message of the report is that a more consistent approach must be taken towards the delivery of palliative care, backed by an appropriate level of specialist staffing, and that is a message that must be acted upon here in Ayrshire to help ensure that we have the level of care needed to meet local need.”

Caroline Gardiner, deputy auditor general for Scotland, said: “More than 55,000 people die in Scotland each year.

“Palliative care should be an integral part of the support given to patients and their families and carers during the last months, days and hours of their lives.

“Access to good quality palliative care varies across the country. The Scottish Government needs to address these issues in the palliative care action plan it is due to publish this October.”

Professor Craig White is responsible for the palliative care managed clinical network

He said: “The Audit Scotland report on palliative care services has highlighted several areas that either have or are currently being addressed by our local palliative care managed clinical network.”

He says that the network includes the voluntary sector, patients and carers as well as clinical staff.

And that they work together to develop the workforce, involve patients, carers and the public, communicate and develop electronic systems to improve the flow of clinical information.

Professor White added: “The Audit Scotland report is based on data from 2006. Since then, two additional specialist palliative care staff have been appointed.

“Palliative care services have also been considered within needs assessments that have been completed for respiratory and renal conditions.

“Much work has been undertaken in Ayrshire and Arran to support all staff who provide palliative and end of life care. For example, almost all GP practices in Ayrshire and Arran have signed up to the Gold Standards Framework to improve palliative care in the community.

“The Scottish Government is due to launch its national action plan on October 2.

“We will be ensuring that we take the necessary local actions to implement this.”