More should be allowed to die at home: Andrew Lansley
Andrew Lansley, Health Secretary, has announced a review of how government
money is spent on palliative care to allow more people to end their days in
their place of their choosing.
Speaking at the International Carers Conference in Leeds, he said: Having a
terminal illness is a very distressing time for individuals and their
families. People should be able to choose where they are cared for most
would choose to be cared for at home, surrounded by their friends and family
and be certain that the care they receive will be of the highest quality.
This review will look at how we better deploy the money we spend on
palliative care so those in need are better supported. We intend that
whatever care patients choose will meet their needs and wishes.
In 2008 the previous government published the End of Life strategy to bring
together how services should be planned for people who are terminally ill
but progress has been slow.
Freedom of Information requests by the charity Macmillan Cancer Support
revealed that nearly half of primary care trusts in England are not
providing 24/7 community nursing to all patients at the end of their life,
despite a call for this in the Strategy.
Ciaran Devane, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: We simply
cannot claim to have a world class health service when we continue to let
down our most vulnerable patients just when they need the NHS most.
“People must have the fundamental right to die at home if they want to. It is
not right that so many end up dying in hospital, against their wishes,
because they do not have the support to stay in their own home.
We welcome this review by the Government into end of life care but it must
fill the gaps in service provision to make 24/7 care a reality.
The review will be chaired by Tom Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive of the
charity Marie Curie Cancer Care, which is the largest provider of hospice
care outside the NHS.
The charity has developed pilot programmes in Lincolnshire and elsewhere to
help more people die at home that provides round the clock crisis nurses to
deal with urgent symptoms in terminally patients that would otherwise
require them to be admitted to hospital. The programme has doubled the
number of people able to die at home with their families.
The review will make recommendations on how to fund a system to encourage more
care to be provided in the community so people can remain at home.
It will report back in Summer 2011 and may include a funding per patient
system so the money can be spent on whichever approach is best for the
individual if that is hospice care, home helps, specialist nurses or charity
carers.
Paul Burstow, Care Services Minister, visited St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green,
Cheshire, said: The Government is committed to more personalised care for
people at the end of life. Just last month we made this clear through
confirming that £40 million will be invested to help hospices improve the
environments where they provide care and support for patients, their
families and carers.
“I am delighted that we are taking the first step to honouring our
commitment to introducing a new per-patient funding system for all hospices
and providers of palliative care.
Professor Sir Alan Craft, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics
and Child Health, has been asked to be part of the review to cover
children’s services.