Chief Executive responds to government's End of Life strategy
Iain Rennie Hospice at Home welcomes the fact that the government has pledged an additional £286m for palliative care services following the publication of the "End of Life Care Strategy" today. Most of this money will be allocated to Primary Care Trusts to improve end of life services in local communities, allowing more people to make the choice to die at home, although no specific provision for hospice at home care has been made.
Maddie Blackburn, Chief Executive at Iain Rennie Hospice at Home:
"We work closely with the NHS locally, as well as our hospice partners, to help continue delivering end of life care at home to all those who need it, just as we have for the last 23 years. Iain Rennie continues to provide a service supporting people who wish to be nursed, cared for and to die at home. This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We were one of the first dedicated hospice at home services to be established in the UK and are now caring for just under 900 patients annually. Hospice at Home is now part of a growing movement within the hospice and palliative care world. Dying at home well can be achieved by a combination of hospice at home, district nurses, GPs, other health and social care specialists, as well as hospice respite stays."
The End of Life Strategy focuses on:
- Improved community services - asking PCTs and working with Local Authorities to ensure that rapid response community nursing services are available in all areas 24/7, thus enabling more people to be cared for and die at home if they wish
- Workforce training and development - to train health and social care professionals in assessing the needs of both patients and carers and providing the best possible quality care
- Setting up a national End of Life Research initiative - to further understand how best to care for those at the end of their lives.
17th July 2008
More news...
