New palliative care funding system needed

December 14, 2010

With ageing populations and their associated chronic diseases, the demands for end-of-life care have risen sharply. However, palliative care is often poorly coordinated, even in the UK, which ranks top among 40 countries in a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit entitled Quality of Death. Palliative care should be the responsibility of every health professional, whereas for most health professionals there is limited training in end-of-life care. Moreover, according to the UK think tank Demos, of 500 000 deaths each year, only 18% of people die at home, yet 66% of those surveyed would like to do so. To enable the provision of palliative care to adults and children where and when needed, the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, has asked the Chief Executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care, Tom Hughes-Hallett, to chair an independent review to recommend a new funding system. (The Lancet)