Marie Curie UK

🚨📨 We’ve written to Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, calling on him to urgently improve palliative and end of life care services. Living with a terminal illness is already tough. Not getting the right care and support makes it unbearable. People are spending their final weeks scared, alone and in pain. This isn’t right. And it doesn’t have to be this way. The UK Government can fix it by introducing a national plan for palliative and end of life care in England. Now’s the time to act, especially with the Assisted Dying Bill passing in the House of Commons this summer. If assisted dying becomes legal and there’s no plan for palliative and end of life care in place, people could feel like they’re left with no option but to turn to assisted dying because the care and support they need isn’t there. We’re urging the UK Government to act. Join us and email Wes Streeting in just a couple of clicks 👉 https://bit.ly/42QmHNt

🚨 💔 The palliative care system is at breaking point. Services are overstretched and underfunded. We won’t stand by and let this continue. That’s why, over the past few weeks, we were at political party conferences talking to politicians about how they can help fix end of life care. ✅ The positives... 👍 The Lib Dems showed their support for action to protect hospices 👍 Labour has committed to building an NHS fit for the future - which includes making palliative care more accessible in local areas 👍 The Conservatives talked about the importance of hospices and the NHS being there for people at the end of life. 👍 Plaid Cymru unanimously approved a motion on improving palliative and end of life care in Wales 👍 The DUP called for palliative care to be funded by the Department of Health so this vital service is not reliant on charitable donations ❗ But we now need to see ALL political parties commit to taking action to improve palliative care. Everyone deserves to spend their final months, weeks and days in comfort and with their loved ones. 💛

We won't sugarcoat it. Living with a terminal illness is one of the toughest experiences to go through. But the right care can make a difference. 💛 Palliative and end of life care is about providing holistic care so people can spend their final years, months and weeks in comfort, focusing on what matters most to them. This type of care includes expert nursing care, as well as other things you might not expect - like counselling, physiotherapy and social activities. Everyone deserves to feel cared for, comfortable and supported at the end of their life.

"I joined Marie Curie as I’d cared for my Mum at the end of her life and had support from local hospices, so I knew what a lifeline palliative and end of life charities are to people in those situations and wanted to be part of that myself. I had used some of the information on the website and I know of people that had Marie Curie nurses support them when their loved one was ill. We were lucky and privileged enough that Mum had a peaceful death at home, which gave us all comfort in our grief. I think of that when I’m doing my challenges and hope that I can help the amazing people at Marie Curie to support other people so they can also have peaceful deaths." Our Research Manager Devi has taken on Swimathon for us for the past two years. If you feel inspired, you can find out more and sign up today: https://bit.ly/3INA2zd

"Using the disposable cameras allowed me to capture the reality of life with a terminal illness and most importantly the simple elements of my life which I enjoy and am grateful for." 📷 We asked Tom, who is living with a terminal illness, to document his day through photos. From medication to art therapy, his beautiful grandchildren to his loyal furry friend Dusty, this is what we found when we developed the film...

Our goal is to make sure everyone gets the care and support they need at the end of their life. 💛 It’s no small task – and we couldn’t do it without amazing partners like Superdrug and Savers Health Home & Beauty. Together, they’ve raised £15 million to support us since our partnership began in 2013. This money has helped provide expert nursing care, making sure people with a terminal illness can spend their final weeks and days in comfort, with their loved ones. We're so grateful for every colleague, customer, and ambassador who has helped make this happen. 🤝 Now, with a new goal to raise £20 million by the end of 2027, we're excited to continue working together to give more people the care and support they deserve at the end of their life.

Great to see Liberal Democrats pass a motion on hospice support at this year's conference - particularly welcome to see the commitment to:   *Develop a national strategy to address unmet need and improve the integration of hospice services with the wider health and social system and improve the availability of 24/7 palliative and end of life support in community settings, including hospices within communities * Work with hospices, end of life charities and NHS Trusts to embed palliative care specialists in all hospital emergency departments, to enable proactive identification, assessment and treatment of patients at the end of life, and where appropriate enable their diversion from hospital to care at home and in community settings such as hospices, especially for those families who are not able to care for their loved ones in a home setting. * Create a universal gateway to 24/7 palliative and end of life care advice, guidance and support by dialling 111 and selecting the Palliative and End of Life Care option.   https://lnkd.in/eyASmZhQ

🚨 📝 NEW RESEARCH: People living with HIV often face additional challenges accessing end of life care because of the stigma around HIV in healthcare services. This isn’t right. Everyone should have access to good palliative care at the end of their life. Together with the Terrence Higgins Trust, we’ve done new research into the experiences of people living with HIV at the end of their life. The report highlights... ❌ How lifelong discrimination in healthcare is a barrier to palliative care services ✍️ The importance of making sure people’s wishes for after death are understood 💛 The value people place on maintaining a sense of self and identity through to death Read the full report 👉 https://lnkd.in/etwCvVua

It can be difficult to meet people who truly understand what it’s like to live with a terminal illness. And it can also be difficult to open up about your feelings and experiences, especially for men. Our research has shown Men’s Sheds in hospices can help.💛 The sheds are spaces where men can meet and talk to other men who are living with a terminal illness, caring for someone or are bereaved. 📝 Our research shows that regularly going to a Men’s Shed promotes mental and physical wellbeing, helping men form supportive relationships with one another. Our research team are offering free support until the end of 2025 to any hospices in the UK that want to set up their own Men’s Sheds. ❗ If you work in a hospice and want to find out more about setting up a Men’s Shed, comment ‘Interested’ and we’ll connect you with our team.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month – a chance to reflect on the most common form of dementia in the UK, and a leading cause of death. Dementia can affect things like, a person’s thinking, memory, behaviour and mobility. It’s a progressive, life-limiting condition. But despite this, it’s a condition that’s often overlooked in end-of-life planning and care. “The prevalence of dementia is growing, but it easily goes unseen and unrecognised, and I think because of that, people who are caring for someone with dementia don’t realise that support is out there.” – Poppy, Healthcare Assistant at Marie Curie. It’s predicted that 1.4 million people in the UK will be living with dementia by 2040. This progression will have a huge impact on the families, carers, and healthcare professionals caring for someone with dementia. Caring for someone with dementia towards the end of life can be challenging. But providing person-centred care that focuses on comfort, dignity and communication can make a real difference. For more information, visit our webpage: Caring for someone with dementia towards the end of life. Or to talk about how you’re feeling, call our free Support Line on 0800 090 2309. #WorldAlzheimersMonth