"Labour's focus on strengthening health services for local communities and reducing pressure on hospitals is welcome, but palliative and end of life care is the missing link in their plans for the future Government.
"Unless policy makers make end of life care a core component of our health service, huge pressure will continue to be put on hospitals, A&E departments and ambulance services. Not to mention the human cost of people dying in distress because they cannot access the end of life care they need close to home.
"People at the end of life are making more than 1.1 million unplanned visits to A&Es in England alone each year because they are struggling to get the pain relief and other care they need at home. And demand for this care is rising fast as our population ages with the number of people likely to need palliative care is set to rise by 25% by 2048."
Marie Curie's Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Ruth Driscoll.
"Unless policy makers make end of life care a core component of our health service, huge pressure will continue to be put on hospitals, A&E departments and ambulance services. Not to mention the human cost of people dying in distress because they cannot access the end of life care they need close to home.
"People at the end of life are making more than 1.1 million unplanned visits to A&Es in England alone each year because they are struggling to get the pain relief and other care they need at home. And demand for this care is rising fast as our population ages with the number of people likely to need palliative care is set to rise by 25% by 2048."
Marie Curie's Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Ruth Driscoll.