Marie Curie, an end-of-life care charity, has been disturbed by a significant decision not to renew its at-home care service for dying people.NHS Dorset has confirmed that it will not renew its contract with Marie Curie, leaving 33 jobs at risk.
The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB) has given this end-of-life charity notice that its service contract, which sees Marie Curie Nurses and Healthcare Assistants provide end-of-life care in people’s homes during the day and night, will not be renewed after March 31. Marie Curie is now consulting with the staff impacted, focusing on supporting them and the people they care for during this time.
The charity says it will continue to discuss what alternative support can be offered to dying people and their families in Dorset. It hopes this will result in other ways of providing support.
Concerns over Marie Curie’s future
“This news saddens us, but we remain committed to continuing our discussions with the ICB and other local partners to explore how we can work together to transform how we deliver more specialist care to more people in Dorset said Karen Burfitt, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Services at Marie Curie South West.
He said that while they understood the financial constraints on the NHS and Dorset in particular, the UK government and ICBs, responsible for commissioning local services, need serious conversations around sustainability and investment in high-quality care for people at the end of life.
“24/7 palliative and end-of-life care services tailored to the needs of the local community is urgently needed to significantly reduce NHS pressures and save dying people from avoidable and traumatic emergency admissions.”
He further emphasized that as a charity with a long history of supporting people at the end of life in Dorset, the charity is concerned that decommissioning its specialist service to increase the use of personal care agencies will compromise the quality of care. The ICB suggested they join its care framework, but it wasn’t feasible for them as an organization.
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Challenges in funding and long-term planning
Karen Burfitt explained that they know that the ICB is looking at different ways to deliver end-of-life care, but it will take time and additional UK government investment to make it happen. They believe that national money should be invested into driving change and creating new services that better meet the needs of local communities, regardless of a person’s terminal diagnosis, where they live in the county, their circumstances, or their place of care.
According to him, they are concerned that any lengthy delays in implementing change will likely result in further adverse outcomes for patients and the NHS, such as avoidable emergency admissions or unmanaged pain. It could also make the task of addressing the anticipated exponential increase in demand over the coming years a lot harder to achieve
The charity is now exploring collaborating with local GP practices to help them identify and support people much earlier in their end-of-life journeys. It is also set to launch a Community Companion Model to help people dealing with fuel poverty at the end of life.
Ms Burfitt acknowledged that they are open to discussing ways to maintain their partnership with the ICB and exploring how to improve end-of-life care services across all settings, ensuring people receive the care they deserve, as in other areas of the Southwest and beyond. The Charity’s National Information and Support Service, including its support line and online resources, are also available to people in the Dorset area who need a listening ear to discuss issues around terminal illness, dying, death and bereavement.
Similarly, Weldmar Hospicecare, a leading end-of-life charity, is threatened by significant funding cuts and is trying to find ways to continue delivering care in people’s homes. NHS Dorset commissioned Weldmar Hospicecare to provide specialist hands-on care in patients’ homes, usually in the last few weeks of their lives.
Not only does Weldmar subsidise this service by 60 percent through charitable funds, but the £400,000 of Fast Track Funding will be withdrawn in April 2025. Over 80 percent of the charity’s care occurs within people’s homes.
In a recent interview, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was asked how the Labour Government’s elective reform plan will impact hospices. Sir Keir said it is a bold principle to have more healthcare in the community, where people are at a hospice, GPs can do more, and all of that is coming.
The discontinuation of Marie Curie’s home care service in Dorset raises concerns about access to quality palliative care. With increasing demand for end-of-life support, stakeholders and policymakers must prioritize sustainable solutions to prevent disruptions in care for terminally ill patients.