Significant Marie Curie service expansion in Plymouth

People nearing the end of life will have more options around their care thanks to a new partnership between the UK's leading end of life charity Marie Curie and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP).

The new partnership aims to enhance end of life care and provide better experiences for dying patients and their loved ones.

One of the key goals for the partnership is for people to have more choice around where they receive care and die. Currently, only 20 per cent of people are dying at home in Plymouth, compared with 29% in Devon as a whole, with 48 per cent of people dying in UHP in comparison to 37% in the rest of Devon.¹

Major changes have already been implemented by hospital staff to provide better care for patients at end of life, including the use of dedicated community beds at Mount Gould Hospital which has received positive feedback from patients and their families. As part of this, Marie Curie has provided healthcare assistants to support the Emergency Department at Derriford Hospital who work in conjunction with an end of life care facilitator. This is now set to expand to a 7-day-a week service.

Marie Curie is also set to employ a team of nurses to support the identification of people who are approaching the end of their lives in hospital and, in line with their wishes, support their transfer/discharge to their preferred place of care in a timely manner. The team will have conversations with patients and families about their preferences for where they would like to receive their care at end of life.

UHP is expanding the number of dedicated beds available at Mount Gould Hospital for people nearing the end of their lives, whose preference is to be cared for in a community hospital setting or when it isn't possible for people at end of life to be cared for elsewhere due to individual circumstance. Marie Curie Nurses and Healthcare Assistants will now be available to provide additional hands on-care and expertise at Mount Gould.

The charity is now on the lookout for new team members across different teams to support the important work. In addition to clinical staff, a team of volunteers will be supporting the services providing companionship, practical support and advice as well as enabling conversations around what matters most to people.

Marie Curie Chief Executive, Matthew Reed, said: "I am really excited by this fantastic new partnership between Marie Curie and University Hospitals Plymouth.

"We know that when you're living with a terminal illness, getting the right pain relief and clinical care can make all the difference, and by providing support in all areas of the hospital and a comfortable place people can be if it isn't suitable for them to go home, we hope we can soothe people's worries and stress with practical care and emotional support during their final moments."

Initially, the project will run until 2028 and aims to:
• Improve experiences at end of life
• Ensure patients have plans in place to allow them to be transferred to a more comfortable setting
• Reduce the number of days end of life patients are in hospital
• Lead to fewer deaths of people at end of life in hospital
• Enable UHP trust staff to feel more confident supporting end of life patients by benefiting from Marie Curie's expertise

Rachel O'Connor, Director of Integrated Care, Partnerships & Strategy at UHP, said: "Our shared vision for end of life is that patients are able to access the support needed to facilitate a 'good death' in the place of their choice. For UHP the enhanced end of life service we are implementing aims to ensure we can identify and support people as early as possible when they are under our care and to facilitate smoothly their onwards care.

"Listening and learning from families' experiences over the last two years has helped us identify where we can make the biggest impact in enabling a much-improved experience for those at end of life and their loved ones. We want to offer a much more holistic service to support better deaths, in the right place, in line with peoples' wishes. We know this supports a healthier bereavement for their loved ones too."

Last year, Marie Curie supported more than 4,000 patients and their families across the South West.

For information on the clinical and volunteering roles available, please go to mariecurie.org.uk/jobs

The charity provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for their family and friends. If you're living with a terminal illness or have been affected by dying, death and bereavement, Marie Curie can help. Visit mariecurie.org.uk or call the free Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309 or email support@mariecurie.org.uk.

¹Source: Plymouth medical examiner's office