Hospice Backs Thinktank Report, Calls for Greater Capacity
Nov 12, 2010
Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has welcomed a report by a leading national think tank calling for greater end of life planning.
Demos’ report, titled Dying for Change, urges policymakers to boost funding and provide more personalised care for both those who are dying and their families, with the creation of an alternative system focused on enabling more people to die at home or with support in the community.
The study bases its findings on statistics which suggest 60 percent of people would prefer to die at home surrounded by family, friends and cherished possessions.
Birmingham St Mary’s, which provides vital palliative care to people with life-limiting illnesses across Birmingham and Sandwell, says many of the report’s recommendations are already standard practice at the Selly Park-based hospice but believes there is scope for improvement.
Chief Executive Tina Swani said: “The Dying for Change report calls for people to be given more access to specialised end of life care services of exactly the kind we already provide.
“It might not seem like the best time to be asking for increased government spending, but we are convinced that the £500 million investment Demos suggests is needed would actually lead to a long-term saving as it would take a lot of pressure off hospitals, which are not always the most appropriate place for people at the end of life.
“From the findings in Demos’ report, we can clearly see that more people ought to benefit from the kind of specialist care we and other hospices provide.”
At any one time Birmingham St Mary’s is caring for approximately 300 people in the community with a variety of complex symptoms. Just over 49 percent of the hospice’s patients are able to die at home, and during the last three years the number of patients known to Birmingham St Mary’s dying in hospital has decreased from 28 percent to 20 percent.
Tina added: “One of the consistent messages we get from patients with a terminal diagnosis is that they would prefer to come under our care than hospital care. This is not a criticism of hospitals, just that people feel they are not geared towards the needs of people with life-limiting illnesses.
“One obvious example is visiting times. At our hospice relatives are able to visit a loved one at any time, whereas in hospitals there are set times. For someone at the end of life this kind of flexibility is crucial to reducing the level of trauma a family typically experiences.”
For Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice many of the recommendations in the report are already firmly established practices.
These include:
- supporting people to die in the place of their choosing, whether that be at home or in an institution;
- relying heavily on trained volunteers to deliver services ranging from complementary therapy to bereavement support;
- providing a 24/7 telephone line offering specialist advice to patients, relatives and healthcare professionals;
- providing people with a dedicated relationship to work with families from referral through to long-term bereavement support;
- developing a website to encourage people to talk about dying;
- and working with public, private and voluntary providers across the community.
Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice also welcomed the proposal for End of Life Trusts.
Tina said: “Over the next few years GPs will play the role of health commissioners, a reform which is causing a degree of concern to us. But having the decisions made by a dedicated body with specialist knowledge in palliative care could, in our view, provide a better deal for patients, helping the public to achieve the kind of end of life care it wants. It is clear from the statistics shown that too many people are not getting their needs met at end of life.”
Since its launch in 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has cared for tens of thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and MS.
With around 52 percent of the hospice’s budget reliant on public goodwill, community fundraising is crucial to ensuring its highly specialised services can continue to be offered to the people of Birmingham and Sandwell.
In addition to a 25-bed Inpatient Unit, Birmingham St Mary’s boasts a 20-place Day Hospice and provides community care to approximately 300 people at any one time.
The hospice also supports relatives with bereavement preparation, physiotherapy tuition and counselling in addition to many other services.
Annual running costs stand at £6.3 million, with around £1 million being raised in the Hospice’s shops and £2.7 million via fundraising. The remainder comes from the NHS.
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