Social care discharge fund "must deliver support for dying people to return home"

Becca Hammond, Marie Curie National Public Affairs Manager, said: "While we welcome the recognition from the Secretary of State that delayed discharges from hospital are all too often the result of wider pressures elsewhere in the healthcare system, and the £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund - the fact is, poor social care means people with a terminal illness often have to rely on paramedics and A&E to get the care they need.

"This is particularly the case when a lack of social care at evenings and weekends means dying people are left in pain and no one else to call except 999.

"The Adult Social Care Discharge Fund needs to deliver on getting support in place for dying people to enable them to quickly and safely return home from hospital. Better consistency and more resource in social care provisions is desperately needed in order to ensure community care is right for people at the end of life across the UK, and preventable visits to A&E are avoided in the first place.

"The end of life should be comfortable, peaceful and calm. Speeding ambulances and busy A&E wards are not where dying people need or want to be."