Dying patients face ‘avoidable distress’ due to poor communication from professionals

Dying patients and their loved ones are being "let down" by inadequate communication, a failing that is "adding to their grief," an ombudsman has warned.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) issued a stark warning, emphasising that such breakdowns can not only impact a patient's immediate care but also lead to "severe consequences" for their families, exacerbating an already difficult time.

A new PHSO report highlighted a particularly distressing case where one man, referred to as Mr O, discovered he was dying "by accident".

An NHS trust had failed to inform him that his bowel cancer, which had spread to his liver, was terminal. The hospital, according to the PHSO, "failed to clearly and promptly inform" Mr O about the disease's spread and its fatal nature.

Instead, he only learned of his terminal diagnosis when his GP "unintentionally disclosed it". The PHSO said this delay “denied Mr O additional time to prepare for the end of his life”.

The man’s wife told the PHSO: “What stays with me most is how alone and powerless we felt.

“We weren’t kept informed, we didn’t understand what was happening, and we lost precious time that we can never get back."

The report also highlights cases of families not being informed and “left unprepared”.

The authors add: “It meant families missed the opportunity to spend meaningful time with their loved one in their final days.”

Meanwhile, families also described feeling dismissed or not properly listened to.

One family member of a dying person told the PHSO: “There were comments around the fact that I was a nuisance… It was obvious anyway, that I was not welcome.”

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Source: The Independent, 7 July 2026