My View: End-of-Life Care in Redcar and Marie Curie's Great Daffodil Appeal

Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch with me about the Marie Curie event in Parliament to raise awareness about end-of-life care. I pay tribute to the fantastic work of Marie Curie in providing dedicated care, and to the hard work of their volunteers and staff. I was lucky to be able to stop by and meet with the team from Marie Curie at the last party conference, and it was truly inspiring. Their nurses and staff provide incredible end-of-life care, supporting families through the most difficult time with compassion and dignity. You may already know, but I was amazed to learn that last year alone, Marie Curie delivered over 80,000 episodes of care in homes and hospices across the UK. 

I therefore absolutely support our Government’s aims to create a society in which everyone receives high‑quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. I understand that for some people and their loved ones, an inpatient hospice bed is the right place to be either for complex symptom control or at the end of life, and this can be the right place for a multitude of reasons. But I also know that some people would prefer to be supported in their homes, surrounded by cherished memories, familiar furniture and by their loved ones. In a recent speech at the Hospice UK conference, the Minister for care stated that it is his job in government is to support this wherever possible and confirmed that our Government is, above all else, a patient-centric government with patient choice driving everything they do. 

I am pleased that our Government’s 10 Year Health Plan aims to shift healthcare from hospitals to the community to allow more patients to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative and end‑of‑life care services will have a crucial role to play in that shift, and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.

Ministers are determined to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end-of-life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the 10 Year Health Plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.  

I welcome that the rollout of Neighbourhood Health Services has already begun in 43 sites across England, backed by £10 million. Please be assured I will closely monitor developments in our local area. I am a big supporter of Teesside Hospice, which has cared for a number of my friends, and was my Charity of the Year last year. They do amazing work caring for people at the most difficult time of their lives.  

I am proud that this Labour Government has provided the biggest funding uplift for hospices in a generation. Hospices provide invaluable care and support when people need it most and this funding boost will ensure they are able to continue delivering exceptional care in better, modernised facilities. The full £125 million funding has now been allocated to 158 hospices across England, including some £729,360 across the North East.

Alongside this, our Government is also developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. This will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care.

I will absolutely continue to monitor developments as we work towards a society where everyone who needs it can receive the highest standard of care from the moment of diagnosis to their final days.