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One in Three Dying in Pain: Urgent Call for Palliative Care
16 Feb
Summary
- One in three people in England die in pain or distress annually.
- An estimated 170,000 people yearly face final days without vital support.
- Families report traumatic experiences of loved ones begging for help.
Research organized by Marie Curie has exposed a significant crisis in palliative care across England, revealing that approximately one in three people die in pain or distress. This means around 170,000 individuals annually spend their final days without the essential support they require. The study, a major analysis in over a decade, predicts this figure could exceed 212,000 by 2050.
Families are speaking out about the traumatic experiences of watching their loved ones suffer agony in their final days. Personal accounts detail pleas for help that went unanswered, with inadequate support and staff unable to provide necessary pain relief or sedation. These experiences underscore a critical failure in providing peaceful and dignified end-of-life care.
Marie Curie is urging the UK Government to address this growing issue. They advocate for the inclusion of guaranteed 24/7 palliative care in communities, accessible advice, and essential medicines. Furthermore, they call for palliative care to be fully integrated into all neighborhood health services and for mandatory training for all healthcare providers to ensure confident support for those nearing the end of life.
The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges the unacceptable gaps in palliative care access. They state that a new Modern Service Framework aims to tackle these variations, strengthen the workforce, and expand 24/7 support. This initiative builds upon significant investment in hospices, focusing on community-based care for dignified and compassionate end-of-life support.
