Calls for urgent action on palliative care funding as assisted dying legislation advances
End-of-life charities are increasingly pressing the government to address deficiencies in palliative care funding and provision as discussions surrounding new assisted dying legislation heat up, reports BritPanorama.
With MPs set to debate and vote on whether to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales, campaigners stress that “the need for more urgent and ambitious action to fix end-of-life care could not be clearer.”
Despite organisations like Marie Curie, Hospice UK, and St Christopher’s hospice taking a neutral stance on assisted dying, they are vocal about the inconsistent quality and accessibility of palliative care across England and Wales, citing chronic underfunding in the sector.
Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, highlighted the troubling trend of individuals contemplating assisted death due to fears of inadequate pain relief or essential care at life’s end. He noted that there has been little change in hospice funding, saying, “the reality is that over the nearly two years since this Bill was first debated by MPs, the opposite has happened.”
According to Porter, “Nationwide, hospice services are shrinking, beds are closing and community hospice visits are falling.” He further remarked, “It’s now harder than ever before for people to get the end-of-life care they need.”
Matthew Reed, chief executive of Marie Curie, has written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, urging that the UK “can and must do better than this.” Reed pointed out that many people’s end-of-life experiences are marked not by care and dignity but by avoidable pain, poverty, and uncertainty regarding available help.
Research from Marie Curie indicates that nearly one in three dying individuals face unmet palliative care needs, translating to over 200,000 people in the UK annually missing out on necessary support as the population ages.
Burnham, who has confirmed he will abstain from the vote to avoid influencing the debate, has previously stated that funding for palliative care must be addressed before legalising assisted dying.
Polling conducted for the Press Association by Ipsos revealed that 34% of respondents aged 16-75 believe that assisted dying should only be legalised with accompanying investment in state-funded end-of-life care. Conversely, 30% agree with legalising assisted dying without any additional funding.
Steve Smith, chief executive of St Christopher’s, asserted that the current funding model for hospices is “not sustainable,” revealing that nearly 60% of hospices have implemented or are considering cuts to frontline services, even as demand continues to rise. He cited a nearly 50% increase in demand at St Christopher’s over the past six years.
Smith emphasised that “charitable giving cannot substitute for a fair, sustainable national funding settlement.” Regardless of the outcome of the forthcoming vote, he stressed that investment in hospices should be prioritised immediately, calling for full funding of specialist palliative care commissioned by the NHS and consistency across funding throughout the country.
According to the NHS, palliative care is essential for managing pain and distressing symptoms and should be accessible once someone is diagnosed with a life-limiting or terminal illness. End-of-life care, a subset of palliative care, is specifically tailored for those nearing death.
The ongoing discussions underscore the critical intersection of health policy and the humanitarian need for proper end-of-life support amidst emerging proposals for assisted dying legislation.
