Working in partnership with local NHS, voluntary sector health providers and social services, the Delivering Choice Programme will focus on designing care services that provide choice to terminally ill patients and support to their carers for place of care and death.
Research commissioned by Marie Curie Cancer Care shows most people in the UK would want to be cared for at home if they were terminally ill, however around half of all cancer patients in the UK still die in hospital.
PE and science teacher Sally Adams died at home in September 2002 after a three-year battle with cancer. Sally was provided with health care support and die at home surrounded by her family.
"It came to a point when we had to decide where Sally was going to spend her last weeks and I couldn't bear the thought of her not coming home."
Mariam, Sally's mother
The charity's Chief Executive Tom Hughes-Hallett said "Public support for choice is over-whelming, but too few people are actually able to make it. We are working to make choice a reality for all."
Marie Curie Cancer Care has welcomed and joined the Government efforts to improve choice at the end-of-life care and our campaign, Supporting the Choice to Die at Home and our Delivering Choice Programme will help improve current services and increase choice and support to patients and their carers.
The Delivering Choice Programme will comprise a number of flagship projects throughout Great Britain, starting in Lincolnshire.
Click here to visit the Delivering Choice Programme website.
