The IRHH welcomes the news of Marie Curie Cancer Care's pilot in Lincolnshire to provide care for terminally ill patients who wish to die at home, but has responded to the announcement by pointing out that providing a supportive service at home for terminally ill patients is not new.

We have issued a statement reminding people that IRHH has been providing a responsive 24 hour nursing service for around 840 patients in the Chilterns area of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire for over 22 years. Up to 70% of patients who wish to die at home achieve this wish with help from our nursing teams. We believe that there is no doubt that this kind of service is what patients want and should receive increased recognition by the NHS and a more reasonable level of funding from PCTs.

For more information about the IRHH service, please visit the About section of this website.

22nd November 2007