Latest news with #endoflifecare
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Blackburn with Darwen drops council tax for terminally ill people
Terminally ill people in a Lancashire borough who have less than a year to live will no longer have to pay council across all parties in Blackburn with Darwen approved the decision, making it the second local authority in England to take the step after Manchester introduced the scheme in June. End-of-life care charities Marie Curie and Hospice UK said they wanted other councils and devolved governments to follow suit. Labour council leader Phil Riley described it as a "worthy idea" but said he had concerns about potentially "intrusive conversations". "There are some practical issues but I am absolutely clear we can look at this," he said."It helps people at a very serious moment in their lives."My over-riding concern is that, if we are not careful, it gets some of the council officers into some fairly intrusive conversations which will be uncomfortable."He said the "very obvious one is that what do you do if someone believed they were going to die and then didn't and whether you go back". Council tax worries Speaking earlier this month, Marie Curie senior policy manager Jamie Thunder said a terminal diagnosis could mean an individual or their partner having to reduce their working hours, or stop altogether."Council tax is one of the larger bills that you might have to pay," he said."It's also one people are very worried about missing particularly because the enforcement of council tax can be quite sudden and ramp up quite quickly."So taking that bit of pressure off is a really valuable thing."The Local Government Association, which represents English councils, said some discretion and support for terminally ill people was already available but there was interest in the new steps being taken. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Liverpool: Marie Curie hospice unit to close permanently
Liverpool's Marie Curie hospice inpatient unit is to shut permanently after it was temporarily closed last year, the charity has hospice's 26-bed unit in Woolton was closed in July 2024 due to a shortage of specialist nursing executive Matthew Reed said it was "an incredibly tough decision" in the face of "significant financial deficits" but they remained committed to providing care in other from the Liverpool Hospice Action Group described the news as "devastating" and called on Marie Curie to allow another provider to step in and run the unit. Mr Reed said both Marie Curie and the Integrated Care Board - which provides some funding - "face significant financial deficits" and, as a charity, they had to ensure their finances were sustainable and "benefit as many people as possible". He said they understood it would "be difficult news for future patients, our staff and volunteers and the local community" and and thanked them for their Curie said its board of trustees "took the difficult decision" after the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, which commissions end-of-life care, confirmed it could not provide sustainable, long-term funding above existing Reed said the hospice would continue to provide end-of-life care through its home service, which they were looking to expand, and other services. 'No surprise' Clare Beloved, of Liverpool Hospice Action Group, said the news was "no surprise" and "our greatest fear now is that they sell this building off" so it could not be revived by another said hospice staff had "held my hand while my wife died" and "were with us at the worst moments".Ms Beloved said the group was also calling for a public inquiry into the closure."For a full year we have watched as Marie Curie gave changing explanations, refused timelines and declined our invitation to collaborate - even when we offered to raise all the necessary funds ourselves," she councillor Alan Gibbons said the news was "incredibly disappointing" and called on Marie Curie to explain exactly where the shortfall was. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Ministers urged to act to protect hospice care for children
Seriously ill children may be denied end-of-life care without further funding for hospices, a charity has warned. Together for Short Lives said hospices are being forced to rely on donations and funds raised from charity shops to prop up services as it called on ministers to increase ring-fenced NHS funding for children's hospices. A new poll of 30 hospices in England found almost nine in 10 (89%) expect their costs to exceed their income this financial year. The charity warned seriously ill children may die without accessing end-of-life care, symptom management and emotional and psychological support as a result. A report from the charity, seen by the PA news agency, states inflation, workforce shortages, and rising demand for care are stretching services to 'breaking point'. The report estimates costs for hospices have risen by 34% since 2021. However, statutory funding for children's hospices is still 'falling short' of what is needed, it adds. 'With reserves set to dwindle and deficits projected to grow, the future of children's hospice care is becoming increasingly unsustainable,' the authors wrote. The report also reveals disparities in funding across England, with neighbouring health authorities spending vastly different amounts on care. Together for Short Lives is urging ministers to increase ring-fenced NHS funding for children's hospices in England from £26 million in 2025/26 to £30 million by 2029/30. It said hospices have said that without this funding they would have to cut back on respite care and short breaks, emotional and psychological support, as well as end-of-life care. Nick Carroll, chief executive of Together for Short Lives, said: 'As ministers try to shift greater levels of healthcare from hospitals into communities, our amazing children's hospices are doing more than ever before to provide crucial support to seriously ill children and their families. 'But as their costs soar, they are having to rely even more on the generosity of the public amid patchy and unsustainable funding from the NHS. 'To expect the complex and often specialist healthcare these families need to be funded by charity shops and donations is wrong – we wouldn't accept this for other parts of our health and care system, so to add more uncertainty to families' lives when many simply don't know how long they have left with their children is unacceptable.' As well as providing end-of-life care, hospices also offer services including emergency support, symptom management and short breaks for respite. One parent described how she 'couldn't live without' the support of her local hospice. Laura McArthur, from Bristol, relies on the Jessie May hospice in the city for support in caring for her seven-year-old son Archie, who has cerebral palsy. But the future of the hospice remains 'unclear' after its charitable expenditure has risen sharply, and uncertainty around funding has forced it to draw on its reserve and rely on voluntary income, Together for Short Lives said. Ms McArthur said: 'Jessie May has known Archie since he was six months old. 'They have been there through it all. 'His needs are so complex, requiring around-the-clock care – at times it can be very difficult. 'Jessie May come and look after Archie so I can have a short break. 'As the years go on, caring for a disabled child is both physically and mentally exhausting. The truth is that I couldn't live without their support.' Mr Carroll added: 'As it finalises its NHS 10-year plan, the UK Government must put in place a long-term, sustainable funding model for children's palliative care in England. 'Immediately, ministers should act to protect and maintain the NHS children's hospice grant and put it on a path to £30 million by 2030. 'Only by doing so can the Government make sure lifeline services are not cut for seriously ill children, which could deny many the choice of accessing end of life care from a children's hospice.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The Government recognises the incredible work that children and young people's hospices do across the country. 'We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million specifically for children's hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. 'We are also working to make sure the palliative and end of life care sector is sustainable in the long-term and are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change.'
CTV News
26-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
‘Place of dignity': New hospice in Elgin will take its first patient in July
A long-awaited hospice in Elgin County held a grand opening on Friday, just over three weeks before its first patient. Situated above Waterworks Park, the new facility is designed to provide peace and tranquility to those in their final days. 'This is absolutely a retreat. This is the cottage,' said Brenda Fleming, executive director, when speaking of the facility. The 'cottage' will feature 10 hospice beds. It was built for $18.5 million, including furnishing and startup costs, thanks to community support. Barrie Family Hospice in Elgin County Barrie Family Hospice in Elgin County held a grand opening on June 26, 2025. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) Until Thursday's grand opening, the fundraising campaign was short nearly $5 million. But a $3.5 million gift from the estate of the late Marianne Barrie has changed that. 'It's a monumental gift and transformational, and one of the largest gifts in this community,' said Fleming. As a legacy to Marianne, the hospice has been renamed the Barrie Family Hospice. Her estate executor, Bill Graham, said the allocation reflects Marianne's life-long pledge to support the community's greatest healthcare needs. Barrie Family Hospice in Elgin County Barrie Family Hospice in Elgin County held a grand opening on June 26, 2025. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) 'The largest one that became apparent was the need for hospice and end-of-life care. And the fact that we didn't have this beautiful facility in our community made it clear it was the missing piece.' The new facility includes not only hospice rooms but vast gathering spaces both inside and out. The opening date has been tentatively set for July 22. Initially, eight beds have been funded. Forty staff members and almost 200 volunteers will contribute to its operation. Barrie Family Hospice in Elgin County Father Murra Sample attended the Barrie Family Hospice's a grand opening in Elgin County on June 26, 2025. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) Fleming said all will work to ensure those passing and their loved ones have time to say goodbye, 'Just be together, knowing someone else is close by and ready to take care of those complex care and pain management needs.' That peace of mind is crucial as end-of-life nears, according to Father Murra Sample, a retired priest who attended the opening. 'I think about the individual who is dying, and now there is a place of dignity. And in that kind of setting, there is peace, there is quiet, there's a chance to have those long conversations with family members,' said Sample.
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Starmer pushes back at Streeting doubts over budget for assisted dying
Keir Starmer has insisted the government is prepared to deliver assisted dying legislation 'in all its aspects', pushing back against comments made by his health secretary, Wes Streeting, who claimed there was no budget to implement the new law. Streeting, who was previously a supporter of assisted dying but switched sides last year, said better end of life care was needed to stop terminally ill people feeling as though they had no alternative but to end their own life. Writing on his Facebook page, Streeting cited Gordon Brown's opposition to the move and expressed concerns about the ethics of offering an assisted dying service before significant improvements are made to the NHS. 'The truth is that creating those conditions will take time and money,' he wrote. 'Even with the savings that might come from assisted dying if people take up the service – and it feels uncomfortable talking about savings in this context, to be honest – setting up this service will also take time and money that is in short supply. 'There isn't a budget for this. Politics is about prioritising. It is a daily series of choices and trade-offs. I fear we've made the wrong one.' The prime minister backed the historic measure, which passed the Commons with a majority of 23. MPs were given a free vote. When asked on Wednesday if the bill must be implemented and the budget must be found for the legislation, Starmer told reporters ahead of the Nato summit: 'It is my responsibility to make sure the bill is workable, and that means workable in all its aspects. I'm confident we've done that preparation.' The assisted dying bill, which was formally introduced in the House of Lords for further scrutiny on Monday, gives terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months to live the legal right to end their lives with medical support. This would be subject to approval by two doctors and a panel including a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Kim Leadbeater introduced the legislation as a private member's bill, and the Labour peer Charlie Falconer is expected to lead on the legislation in the Lords. Falconer, who supported Leadbeater's efforts, said peers should not use procedural devices to block the bill. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, hopes the bill will get its royal assent by October, allowing the start of a four-year process to formally implement it. Streeting will oversee the implementation of the law, as it will be carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care, although the day-to-day work will be handed over to the care minister, Stephen Kinnock, who backed the bill. Although Streeting's views on assisted dying are well known, he has told allies he will not seek to impede the bill's implementation. Given MPs were allowed to vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines, Starmer had been conscious of not wanting to appear to influence MPs' decisions. He had criticised Streeting for doing so earlier this year.
