A Hospice director has said that a report outlining cases of NHS patients dying in pain and without dignity should be a wake-up call.

The health ombudsman has released a shocking report which reveals that thousands of dying patients are being let down by poor end-of-life care in the NHS.

But Mike Pyrah, the director of the East Cheshire Hospice, says the report is a call to action for all service providers to improve communications.

Mr Pyrah said although the report focused on NHS care and not independent hospices, his team at East Cheshire Hospice, on Millbank Drive, Macclesfield, could help with the issues.

Mr Pyrah said: “We’re confident that the issues raised do not reflect the care we provide, however, it’s a clarion call for us to reflect on our work and continue to encourage our patients and their loved ones to tell us what they feel about our services.”

Mr Pyrah said the hospice, which cares for adults with life-limiting illnesses, could help influence better communication with patients and their families going through very difficult times. He said: “We recognise the issues around poor communication and poor out-of-hours services may be issues we can influence.

“We are recognised as a key part of the provision of end of life care locally and have the opportunity to influence others to improve the service for all “If we hear about poor communication we need to raise this and seek to support improvements. We are currently considering how we might improve out-of-hours services by offering a hospice outreach service to end of life patients at home.

“We are really fortunate to be part of the End of Life Partnership for Cheshire. This organisation is leading the way in the improvement of services and we need to play our part so it goes from strength to strength.”

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which deals with complaints about the NHS in England, reported cases where patients have suffered unnecessarily and were not treated with the dignity they deserved.

The government made improving end-of-life care a priority on the back of the damning report.

The findings also showed instances of a lack of pain management, poor communication and inadequate out-of-hours services for patients.