The practice of end-of-life care is the essence of nursing
Editorial
Published:
2008
Vol:
2
No:
2
First published in print journal End of Life Care by HealthComm UK
Declaration of interests:
none
I have just finished reading the latest report published by the Healthcare Commission (HCC) Spotlight on Complaints (HCC, 2008). It reiterates guidance issued in a previous report about the need for ‘providers to apologise to patients and their families when something has gone wrong’. Spotlight on Complaints states that, in one out of 10 cases referred to the HCC, the person making the complaint was simply seeking an apology or an acknowledgement that care could have been improved.