Almost one in three adults in Wales do not have the palliative care they need
Press release published
Palliative care in Wales is broken, says a leading end of life charity, as almost one in three adults in Wales have unmet palliative care need, meaning they are left without enough support at the end of life.
New figures published by Marie Curie suggest that there are more than 10,000 adults across Wales whose symptoms aren't addressed and who do not have enough support from their GP.
These figures are further evidence that our palliative and end of life care system is at breaking point.
Currently, of every emergency department attendance in Wales 1 in 14 is in relation to someone who is in their last year of life. We also know that in 2023 almost a fifth of hospital beds in Wales were occupied every day by people in their last 12 months of life.
Potentially avoidable hospital admissions are placing pressure on acute care and preventing people from spending their final months at or closer to home, if that is their preference.
Demand for palliative care is increasing. Marie Curie estimates that by the 2040s, 37,000 people in Wales will likely need palliative and end of life care each year, an increase of 5,000.i
Based on this latest analysis, it is estimated that without additional intervention around 1,500 more people are likely to face unmet palliative care need in 2050, compared to 2025. An increase of 14%.
Urgent action is needed to transform end of life care to ensure that people living with a terminal illness, both now and in the future, have access to the care and support they need.
Marie Curie Cymru has set out a comprehensive programme of policy change in its manifesto At breaking point: Time to transform end of life care in Wales.
It provides a roadmap for the incoming Welsh Government in May to ensure that services are responsive to people's needs, that palliative care is sustainably funded and to strengthen out of hours and community care, so people have 24/7 access to care and support at or close to home.
Marie Curie Senior Policy Manager Natasha Davies,said: "It's simply unacceptable that so many people are being left without the care and support they need at the end of life. Too many people are spending their days isolated, in pain and struggling to make ends meet. Carers are being left abandoned without support, and services and staff are struggling to deliver the care people need, where and then they need it. Change is urgently needed.
"Transforming end of life care means making sure that everyone can access the care they need in the right place, at the right time. It means taking a system-wide approach that fully integrates palliative and end of life care into health and social care, and ensuring people have access to advice, support and care 24/7.
"Placing palliative care nurses in each primary care cluster, integrating palliative care paramedics into specialist palliative care teams and providing a 24/7 single point of access for advice and information via 111, staffed by clinically trained palliative care staff, would significantly improve access to services and care coordination.
"We cannot afford to waste time getting this right. The next Welsh Government must show strong leadership and commit to the bold, radical actions that are needed to truly transform end of life care.
"People can add their voices to our calls for change by signing our open letter, which will be sent to the First Minister after May's election, and makes clear the need to turn warm words into action."
Notes to editor
For further information please contact Rachel Moses-Lloyd, Senior Media and PR Officer, rachel.moses-lloyd@mariecurie.org.uk, 07730 617843
Contact the Marie Curie Press Office: media@mariecurie.org.uk / 0845 073 8699.
Please note, Marie Curie is not a cancer charity but the UK's leading 'end of life charity'. We care for people with any illness they are likely to die from including Alzheimer's (and other forms of dementia), heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's, and advanced cancer.
Data sources:
Policy brief
This is the first major study in over a decade to estimate unmet palliative care need among people at the end of life. It was led by researchers at King's College London and Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, with contributions from the University of Edinburgh, and funded by Marie Curie.
About Marie Curie
Marie Curie is the UK's leading end of life charity.
The charity provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for their family and friends, in our hospices and where they live. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK, and campaigns to ensure everyone has a good end of life experience. Whatever the illness, we're with you to the end.
If you're living with a terminal illness or have been affected by dying, death and bereavement, Marie Curie can help. Visit mariecurie.org.uk or call the free Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309.
Whatever the illness, wherever you are, Marie Curie is with you to the end.