You are the house officer covering the medical wards for the evening. You have received a call from one of the nurses on a respiratory ward to speak to a patient’s son. The patient is a gentleman with bowel cancer with liver and lung metastases. He was admitted to hospital with dyspnoea and has been treated for a lower respiratory tract infection with intravenous antibiotics. Despite this, he has deteriorated in the 5 days since admission. The patient himself recognised this on the registrar ward round today, and following a discussion, antibiotics were stopped with a decision being made to commence morphine for dyspnoea and refer the patient to the palliative care team. The ward team were asked by the patient about his prognosis today, and thought this would likely be measured in ‘days to weeks’. The family were not on the ward for afternoon visiting, and the nurse had called the son, asking him to come in for the consultant ward round tomorrow. Following the call, he has visited this evening and is angry that his father is ‘being left to die’. You have gained consent from the patient to speak to his son.
How would you deal with the angry son, please ???