- Idea was to promote concept of living well and planning for dignified death
- Newsletter was circulated by the general manager of clinical services
- Leaked by a shocked member of staff, leading to trust issuing apology
Anna Hodgekiss for MailOnline
76
View
comments
A hospital has come under fire for telling staff in an internal newsletter that ‘dying well can be fun’.
The poorly phrased memo was part of a staff briefing about Dying Matters Awareness Week at the at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals in Surrey.
The idea was to promote the concept of living well and planning for a dignified death.
The newsletter was circulated by the general manager of clinical services and leaked by a member of staff.
The poorly phrased memo was part of a staff briefing about Dying Matters Awareness Week at the at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals in Surrey
Part of it read: ‘Dying matters celebrates life – and reminds us that we only die once!
‘It encourages us to tell our families now what our wishes would be and to write them down when we are fit and well.
‘Examples include registering as an organ donor, making a will – and some people like to record their funeral wishes also.
‘Living well and dying well can be fun as well as serious.
The memo went on to boast a ‘Death by Chocolate’ theme event by the Palliative Care department was ‘very well received’.
-
1 in 3 children in Europe are now obese or overweight – and…
Obese patients injured 1,000 NHS staff in the past five…
Thousands of diabetics adopt high-protein low-carb diet in…
Slash your risk of diabetes by eating soups and shakes:…
A member of staff at leaked the internal memo that went on to boast a ‘Death by Chocolate’ theme event by the Palliative Care department was ‘very well received’.
The newsletter was circulated to staff on May 20 and a spokeswoman for the Trust has apologised for the letter.
She said: ‘We would like to apologise for any offence our promotion of national Dying Matters Awareness Week may have caused.
‘The aim is to encourage people to talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life.’
‘Each one of us is different, and it is important to recognise that some people acknowledging they are dying, as well as recognising the sadness and seriousness of what is happening, want to include laughter and happy times and to make good memories for family or friends.’
The newsletter was circulated to staff on May 20; a spokeswoman for the Trust has now apologised
Share or comment on this article
-
Extended video of Harambe shows gorilla holding the boy’s…
-
Terrified four-year-old grabbed and dragged by 400lb gorilla
-
Giant alligator strolls casually across Florida golf course
-
Harambe the gorilla enters his habitat for the first time
-
Crazy road rage driver runs over motorcyclists with his car
-
Cincinnati zoo director defends decision to kill Harambe
-
Zoo director Thane Maynard on shooting Harambe to save boy
-
Footage purportedly shows UFO flying above Ohio airbase
-
Family believes their dog is trying to say ‘Coca Cola’
-
Several arrested in Oakland after rushing Bernie Sanders…
-
Johnny Manziel hunted down and confronted by Mercedes owner
-
‘Buenos dias!’ Students film Spanish teacher’s morning…
-
New video footage of Harambe shows the 400-pound gorilla…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Parents-of-four whose son fell into zoo enclosure…
-
Parents of four-year-old who caused Harambe the gorilla’s…
-
‘It was like it came out of Jurassic Park!’ Monster…
-
RIP Harambe: Fury at ‘neglectful’ parents of boy who ASKED…
-
‘He didn’t beat his chest’: Animal expert says Harambe the…
-
EXCLUSIVE – ‘We gotta protect Johnny at all costs’:…
-
Heart-stopping moment four-year-old boy falls 12 feet into…
-
SIMON BARNES: Can a gorilla really feel empathy for a…
-
Meet the law graduate who used SUGAR DADDIES she met online…
-
Horrifying moment road rage motorist drives OVER Navy…
-
Memorial weekend ‘PTSD’ tragedy: Army vet, 25, who served…
Comments (76)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now