Patients sent to rest homes ‘to die’ – study

Stretched hospitals and hospices are sending elderly, terminally ill patients to die in rest homes – but staff are struggling to cope, a study says.

The Otago University, Wellington study revealed the burden aged care facilities face when caring for patients discharged from hospitals and hospices to die. In the past those patients would have been cared for in public hospitals and hospices but those facilities were under increasing pressure to free up beds for acute or urgent care, the study said.

‘‘Hospitals were considered inappropriate and costly for those dying over weeks to months of incurable illness, and hospice capacity is increasingly strained.’’

The study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal this month, recommended the Ministry of Health fund some aged care facilities to provide specialist end-of-life care.

Researchers assessed clinical notes of seven deceased patients admitted to Te Hopai Home and Hospital in Wellington for end of life care. All seven patients died within three months of admission. They suffered from multiple chronic medical and mental illnesses including conditions such as heart disease, asthma and substance abuse in addition to a primary terminal illness such as cancer.

Staff at the facility reported being under huge pressure to cater for high-needs, palliative patients. One nurse reported having to monitor syringe drivers for pain relief medication for three palliative patients, do medicine rounds for 30 regular patients and attend to family members in one afternoon.

The lead author of the study, Eileen McKinley, said patients admitted to die were not receiving ‘‘effective’’ palliative care in aged care facilities, despite the best intentions of staff.