Abstract
When it comes to patients who are in the last days of life most healthcare professionals will make a special effort to ensure that care is delivered as well as possible, and, ‘walk the extra mile to do so’. Unfortunately, in an NHS that is under increasing pressure, and in which staff are feeling the effects of financial cutbacks and professional burnout, the community resources available to manage and support patients and families will vary greatly from area to area. Given these difficulties, how can we optimise our chances of a good outcome? The key to successful discharge to the community for imminently dying patients is good communication and good forward planning. This article aims to outline an approach to the dying patient who is rapidly discharged without prior involvement of the GP.
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