Innovation in hospice care is the right way to give more dying people the care they need, but it needs government funding. This Hospice Care Week , we look at the new ways we're giving people hospice care when they're dying, wherever and whenever they need it. But however it's delivered, it must be sustainably funded.
Hospice care is a type of care, not a place. It's the physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and practical support to live the best life you can when you have a terminal diagnosis. It's about managing your symptoms and making you as comfortable as possible in body and mind – as well as supporting those close to you.
Marie Curie offers hospice care in – and from – our hospices around the country, in peoples' homes, in care homes and wherever it's needed. As the number of people in need of specialist palliative care increases, we're also working hard to develop new models of care which support them to live the best life possible, right to the end.
Hospice care, wherever and however it's needed
One example of this innovation is working closely with hospital A&E departments through our REACT programme in Bradford* , embedding our specialists so we can act quickly to get people home if that's where they prefer to be, with the right palliative care in place. Not only does this help people spend their last days supported at home, but it also frees up hospital beds for the people who really need to be there at a time when hospitals are under great pressure.
Another approach is enhancing the care we provide to people at home in some areas, so they have access to the same range of care as they would in a hospice – for instance, palliative consultant-led care. This means even people with the most complex symptoms are able to stay at home for the final part of their life, if that's what they prefer.
We're also working closely with others to make it as easy as possible for people to find and access the care they need. For example, in Liverpool, the IMPaCT (Integrated Mersey Palliative Care Team) service provides a single point of contact where previously people had to negotiate a complex and confusing system by themselves. This reduces the stress and anxiety of trying to get the care people need.
Care needs proper funding
We need this kind of innovation in hospice care if we're to meet the growing demand for this kind of care as our population ages, and more people are living with complex conditions as they get older. Even now, 1 in 4 people die without the right care and support, and far too many people are dying in avoidable pain, in poverty and alone. By 2048 the need for end of life care will rise by up to 25% compared to today. Over 730,00 people will need care every year.
No one wants to see more people go without the care they need when they're dying. Which is why we need long term and sustainable funding to enable the transformation of palliative care services in all areas. Investing in end of life care will help us be there for more people in their communities, and reduce pressure on the NHS.
The new government has committed to moving more care into the community and is developing a new long-term NHS plan. But with the Autumn Budget approaching, we're calling on the government to invest in end of life care. A significant and long term investment will be needed to fix end of life care and enable the transformation of palliative care services so that we meet the wishes and needs of all dying people.
You can read more about the changes we're calling for in our joint manifesto for palliative and end of life care.
*REACT started in June 2022 funded via a three-year Social Impact Bond between Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust (BTHFT), Social Finance and Marie Curie, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, Better Society Capital and Commissioning Better Outcomes. Its aims are to prevent unplanned hospital admissions for patients in their last year of life and improve inequalities in end of life provision in the Bradford area.
