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Overthe course of the next Parliament, approximately 1.4 million people could diein hospital when their preference was to die at home.
Thisis the finding of a coalition of charities who warn that unless action is takenby the next Government, people at the end of life will continue to occupyhospital beds unnecessarily and put pressure on overstretched A&Edepartments.
Halfof the 550,000 UK deaths occur in hospital each year, but over four in five(85%) of those who die in hospital wanted to die at home. The charities suggestthat this is due to a number of factors including the lack of 24/7 communitysupport, poor coordination between services and the failure to provide fast andfree social care support for people at the end of life.
Thereis scope for efficiency savings to be made by supporting those who want tospend their final days at home to do so. With access to high quality nursingcare in the community, total care costs can be as much as £500 lower perperson4. All political parties have made some kind of commitment toimprove choice at the end of life and to support more people to die at home.
Onbehalf of the coalition of charities, Dr Jane Collins, Chief Executive of MarieCurie said: “It’stime to change the way we care for people with a terminal illness. Fewerthan 5% of people say they want to be in hospital at the end of their lives,yet around 50% of people who die do so in hospital, often with no clinicalneed to be there. Pressureis increasing on NHS budgets and A&E departments are alreadyover-stretched. The evidence shows that it makes financial sense for the NHS tosupport people to be cared for at home in their last weeks and days. This isalso what the majority of people with a terminal illness would prefer. Together,we are calling on all parties and the next Government to set out how they willintroduce fast and free social care for everyone nearing the end of their livesto reduce pressure on hospitals and deliver genuine choice.”
The coalition include Hospice UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, MNDA, National Council for Palliative Care and Sue Ryder.