Nearly three-quarters of cancer patients who died in hospital wanted to end their lives in the comfort of their own homes.

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Thousands of cancer patients are being denied a dignified death, a charity warned today.
Research for Macmillan Cancer Support found that almost three-quarters of cancer patients who died in hospital beds had wanted to spend their last days in the comfort of their own homes.
This equates to some 36,000 people a year – or almost 100 a day.

Figures: Almost three-quarters of cancer patients who died in hospital beds had wanted to spend their last days in the comfort of their own homes, research for Macmillan Cancer Support found (file picture)

Some 41 per cent of relatives questioned said that their loved ones were not always treated with dignity and respect during their final hospital stay.
And families were only half as likely to rate end-of-life care in hospital ‘excellent’ or ‘outstanding’ as care at home.
Macmillan Cancer Support, which used information from the Office for National Statistics on cause of death and information from patients’ relatives, said there is no medical reason why someone with cancer cannot die at home if they want to.
But if support is not there, including visits from district nurses, those close to death have to be admitted to A&E. 

 

In other cases some doctors baulk at the prospect of discussing death or patients are simply not told what support is available.

The charity wants social care, including feeding and dressing, to be made free to all of those in the last days of life.
The recommendation was made by a Government-commissioned review of palliative care two years ago but has yet to be implemented.
Ciaran Devane, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: ‘As the Government makes up its mind about whether to fund and implement free social care at the end of life, thousands of people with terminal cancer are being left to die in hospital beds against their wishes.

Help: Macmillan said there is no medical reason why someone with cancer cannot die at home if they want to. But if support is not there, those close to death have to be admitted to A&E (file picture)

‘This is putting an unnecessary strain on our A&E departments because people are not getting access to social care for themselves or for their carers which would enable them to be cared for in the comfort of their own home.
‘It’s simply not good enough to pay lip service to this issue - we need to see action. If the Government wants the NHS to deliver world-class care at the end of life in the UK, it needs to start by giving people a real choice about where they die.’

'Thousands of people with terminal cancer are being left to die in hospital beds against their wishes'
Ciaran Devane, Macmillan Cancer Support

Lacey Phillips, 31, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, cared for her father who died of head and neck cancer in 2012.
She said: ‘Nobody explicitly told my dad he was at the end of his life, or explained what might be available in terms of support.
‘We would have liked to have been given more options on his care - what they could do, what he was entitled to, or what potential costs might be involved.
‘We would all have preferred him to die either at home or in a hospice, where he would have felt more comfortable.’
A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We are committed to improving and increasing the choice available for patients at the end of their life so they can choose where to spend their last days.
‘As part of our work to improve end of life care, the current system for funding palliative care is being reviewed, with the intention to introduce a new system in 2015/16.

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