Marie Curie responds to research by Age UK that shows an increasing number of people face long waits for social care in hospital

“Age UK’s research is concerning because it shows that the number of people facing long waits for social care when they are in hospital is increasing. Many of these people will have a terminal illness and we know that delayed or poorly coordinated social care are a significant barrier for people who want to be cared for and die at home. It is not uncommon to hear of people who die in hospital while waiting for a social care package to be put in place. The scale of demographic change means that this problem is likely to grow. By 2040, there will be an additional 100,000 deaths in the UK each year, which means more pressure on the NHS and more demand for social care services.

The Government must look seriously at social care funding, but also do more to ensure that people with a terminal illness can access high quality palliative care. The Nuffield Trust has shown that people cared for by Marie Curie nurses are much less likely than those who aren’t provided with a Marie Curie nurse by their local NHS to experience an emergency admission. This is also cheaper for the NHS with Marie Curie patients having £500 less in total care costs than those without access to Marie Curie nurses.

What is clear from Age UK’s figures and our own research is that supporting people to be cared for out of hospital through the provision of high quality social care is cost-effective for the NHS and also meets people’s preferences for care.”