albion:
he should have been allowed to die earlier than he did, but that is a real first world problem.
To be fair from experience a patient and their family can find themselves arguing with Doctors to stop them being steered ( pushed ) into palliative care,including the withdrawal of further hospital treatment.When all sides know that the decision is more often based on the need to ration resources.Than the patient not benefitting from further referrals and treatment as required without consideration of cost and load on resources.No surprise that side of the argument,between a patient’s wish for whatever it takes further treatment v palliative option doesn’t fit the cost cutting script.Having said that it’s important for anyone finding themselves in that type of situation to realise that hospitals do seem to be prepared to compromise in that regard to an extent ‘if’ the patient and family dig their heels in enough but not without an argument.
The conclusion I was left with being that patients being pressured into ‘palliative’ care against their will,to ration hospital resources and save costs,is a bigger problem,than anyone being pressured into treatment that they’d rather give up on and go home to die.Bearing in mind that patients have always had the fundamental right to refuse treatment.