27.04.15
Social care cuts forcing people to die in hospital
The NHS could save millions of pounds if the provision of social care was great enough to allow those patients with a terminal illness who want to die at home to do so, charities have said.
Cuts to social care have become so dire that over the course of the next parliament around 1.4 million people could die in hospital when their preference would be to die at home.
This is the finding of Marie Curie and a coalition of charities who warn that unless action is taken by the next government, people at the end of life will continue to occupy hospital beds unnecessarily and put pressure on overstretched A&E departments.
According to the charities analysis of ONS figures half of 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 suggest that this is due to a number of factors including the lack of 24/7 community support, poor coordination between services and the failure to provide fast and free social care support for people at the end of life.
Large savings could be made if the provision to die at home was made available to all of those who wished. With access to high quality nursing care in the community, total care costs could be as much as £500 lower per person.
On behalf of the coalition of charities, Dr Jane Collins, chief executive of Marie Curie said: “Pressure is increasing on NHS budgets and A&E departments are already over-stretched. The evidence shows that it makes financial sense for the NHS to support people to be cared for at home in their last weeks and days. This is also 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 will introduce fast and free social care for everyone nearing the end of their lives to reduce pressure on hospitals and deliver genuine choice.”
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