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End of Life Care Strategy: An opportunity not to be missed

16 July 2008

Sue Ryder Care welcomes the End of Life Care strategy released today. However, Sue Ryder Care urges government to ensure the strategy receives sufficient backing to properly implement it and calls on the government to ensure that the proposals are fully implemented to ensure that people requiring end of life care receive the care they need.

The charity is delighted at the recognition made by the strategy of the Palliative Initiatives in Neurological Care (PINC) programme as an example of good practice.  This is just one of the innovative solutions Sue Ryder Care provides and the strategy’s focus on more community and outreach palliative care services is supported by the charity’s development plans

Sue Ryder Care welcomes the additional funding of £286 million which acknowledges the previously inadequate level of support for voluntary providers of care.  The charity is also encouraged by the duty placed on PCTs to provide an end of life care plan that will bring new transparency and foster better coordination of services and resources. 

The charity remains concerned that other key government guidelines, such as the Compact, the NICE guidance on Supportive and Palliative Care, and the National Service Framework for Long Term Conditions, have yet to be fully implemented at local level, often due to a lack of specific targets or any penalties for non-compliance. 

Sue Ryder Care Chief Executive Paul Woodward, said:

“Today’s strategy is an important step towards resolving the current ‘postcode lottery’ and confusions surrounding the provision of end of life care.  Therefore, it is vital that this opportunity is not wasted.

“The issues that still exist in end of life care require sustained commitment from the government, local commissioners and care providers to ensure that everyone in need of end of life care, regardless of their diagnosis, has access to the appropriate care in the location of their choice.  Sue Ryder Care is dedicated to playing a full role in achieving this.

“Sue Ryder Care embodies the principles of the End of Life Care Strategy through providing innovative solutions in specialist palliative care that enable people to die where they want to.  Our Palliative Initiatives in Neurological Care programme, listed in the strategy as an example of best practice, is an example of how we are ensuring access to end of life care for people with a neurological condition, a group traditionally who have difficulties in accessing the care.  As an innovative provider of palliative care that supports people to live independently, we also already provide community and outreach palliative care services, as recommended in the strategy, and will look at how we can develop them so that more people in need of palliative care can access it.

“Sue Ryder Care also welcomes the additional funding being provided as part of the strategy and hopes that as well as developing and investing in further services, funding for existing services will be supported.”

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