Sign the petition: fix end of life care 

Right now, too many people are dying alone and in pain. End of life care services are overstretched, underfunded and overlooked, and dying people are paying the price.

Instead of having joined-up palliative care at home, many terminally ill people spend their final weeks stuck in ambulances, hospital corridors and A&E. It's a total postcode lottery, and that's unacceptable.

In fact, research shows we spend five times as much on supporting people in their final year of life as hospital inpatients, than we do supporting them with primary care, community health and hospice care.

Investing in palliative and end of life care makes sense for everyone.

With better community services, dying people will be able to get the care and pain-relief they need, when they need it. And fewer people will have to rely on emergency services and hospitals, reducing pressure on the NHS. It’s a win-win.

So ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, we're asking the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to:

  • Establish a 'transformation fund' for new, innovative end of life care services 

  • Invest in the workforce, with fair pay and better training for those caring for dying people across the NHS and hospice charities

  • Work together on a sustainable, long-term funding plan – so that wherever you live, whatever your illness, you’ll be able to rely on good care right to the end.

Do you agree that now's the time to fix end of life care? Sign our petition.

Find out more

❔ Why is end of life care in crisis?

Years of underfunding and deprioritisation by successive UK Governments has left the system in a perilous state. We regularly hear from people who can't access pain-relief and support at the end of their life because the services they need are at capacity, understaffed, or simply not available in their area. Shockingly, one in four people do not get the care they need at the end of life, with one in three dying in overwhelming pain, and one in two people saying they're unhappy with the support their loved one received.

Things will only get worse as demand for care rapidly increases, funding falls short of what’s needed, and more services are forced to close. It's estimated that by 2048, 147,000 more people will need palliative care each year and there's currently no realistic plan by any government across the UK to address this challenge.

❔ How is end of life care funded?

Independent hospices* only receive 44% of their funding from statutory sources (this includes NHS commissioned services and government grants). The rest is raised mainly through donations, fundraising and charity shops. This funding model isn't resilient or sustainable, and it leaves end of life care in a very patchy state.

With demand for palliative and end of life care rising rapidly, the UK Government needs to rethink this approach, and ensure the end of life care system and workforce is equipped to meet each community's needs.

* Some specialist palliative care services are provided within the NHS, but separate data isn't available about these costs. Expenditure on these services is included within NHS hospital, community and other health care services.

❔ What has the UK Government done so far?

The UK Government recently announced some new funding for hospice buildings, equipment and IT systems. That's all welcome, but we desperately need a longer term investment in services to ensure everybody gets the care they need.

❔ What's the Comprehensive Spending Review?

Right now, government ministers are submitting budget requests to the Treasury. Between now and June, the Chancellor and her team will look at every Department's requests, and make decisions about which public services to prioritise and provide funding for over the next three years. This process is called the Comprehensive Spending Review.

It's vital that both the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care see palliative and end of life care as a priority. We need the Secretary of State to request the right funding for the right services, and we need the Chancellor to recognise the value in investing in them. We're working hard behind the scenes to make sure they understand the urgent need for action, and the long-term economic value in improving end of life care services so that fewer people need unplanned hospital care at the end of life. This petition will help show the UK Government that the public back investment in these services too.  

❔ Can I sign this petition if I live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?

Yes, you can sign the petition.

However, health is a devolved matter which means decisions about palliative and end of life care services in your country are made by the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament, or the Northern Ireland Assembly.

If the Treasury provides new funding for healthcare in England, they will also provide each devolved government with a proportional amount of money too.

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