End of life volunteers ensure patients don’t die alone

When a patient dies alone on a ward it is upsetting for families and staff. A nurse-led initiative at one trust is ensuring specially trained volunteers provide support throughout the final moments of life

For nurses, being unable to provide all the support that patients and their families need at the end of life can be frustrating and distressing.

‘You feel very guilty,’ says Rachel Bevan, a former ward sister and now head of patient experience, public engagement and the volunteer service at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

'A patient is nearing the end of their life and you know they need you, but you’re also trying to look after other patients, and you just don’t have the time you want to give.’

A new service