Plans to make consultants available to patients on a 7 day a week

Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Marie Curie, Simon Jones, said:

We welcome the Secretary of State’s plan to make consultants available to patients on a 7 day a week basis. Specialist palliative care consultants play a vital role in making sure that people with a terminal illness get the care and support they need, both in hospitals and through supporting other health and social care professionals to deliver high quality palliative care in the community. Unfortunately, only 23% of Trusts ensure their specialist palliative care consultants are accessible on at least a 9-5, 7 day a week basis despite this being the NICE quality standard, and with the number of people dying with complex conditions set to increase over the next 25 years, this will need to change.

Of course, for everyone to be able to get the high quality care they need in the place of their choice, the Government will also need to directly invest in the provision of community palliative care services. We welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement that people with a terminal illness will soon have meaningful choice about where they receive their care. This will put extra pressure on existing palliative care services in the community. To make this a reality, the NHS will need to prioritise the development of high quality palliative care services in the community and ensure that people who have a terminal illness can easily move their care from hospital to home where that is their preference.