Advanced clinical practitioners Claire Baldwin and Gemma Finnegan-Verigotta supported a major collaboration into treatment escalation planning and palliative and end‑of‑life care in older major trauma patients in England, Wales and Scotland.
Salford Royal was a major contributor to the one‑day ‘flash‑mob’ audit across 49 major trauma centres and trauma units in England, Wales and Scotland. It gathered data from nearly 1,000 patients aged 65 and over. The results have now been published and show:
- Less than half of included patients had a documented treatment escalation plan
- Only one in five were on a palliative or end‑of‑life care pathway, despite many living with significant frailty and complex health needs.
As older people experience higher mortality and uncertainty after major injury, the findings highlight the importance of earlier, compassionate conversations about goals of care to make sure treatment is in line with patients’ wishes and priorities.