Sarcoma UK: Family insights from Dermot’s experience (reflections on the HSIB report)

Summary

This article from Sarcoma UK was written by Dermot’s family to develop their reflections and recommendations on the recent publication of the Healthcare Safety Investigation (HSIB) report, Variations in the delivery of palliative care services to adults.

Content

The HSIB report, Variations in the delivery of palliative care services to adults, has highlighted numerous concerns about the delivery of palliative and end of life care across England.  

Their investigation reveals that palliative and end of life care is ‘variable and inequitable’ across the NHS, and the report includes a series of safety recommendations and actions. To understand the impact of inconsistent palliative care, HSIB looked at the case of Dermot – a 77-year-old patient who was diagnosed with myxofibrosarcoma in March 2020, and received support from Sarcoma UK.

Here, Dermot’s brother-in-law, Richard, 60, also shares the family’s insights into Dermot’s experiences and the changes that are needed to improve care for sarcoma patients. Richard and Sarcoma UK have put together their own recommendations, which provide clear, simple and positive suggestions to improve the sarcoma patient pathway.