Verification of expected death by district nurses

Abstract

Pressures on a local out-of-hours GP deputizing service led to lengthy delays before a doctor could visit to verify the (expected) death of patients under the care of the district nursing service. This resulted in distress to the relatives and delayed transfer of the body to a funeral home. This article explores an initiative to enable community nursing staff to verify those expected deaths and to provide more effective support to relatives at a difficult time. The article highlights the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration in the development of an appropriate protocol and provides an overview of its implementation in one area. The initiative contributes to the Government's agenda to improve access to primary care and to create more patient-friendly services.