Two thirds of people in Wales would prefer to die at home, Marie Curie reveals at 2014 Health & Housing Conference

Marie Curie today attended the 2014 Health & Housing Conference, at Cardiff City Stadium, to discuss the challenges being faced jointly by health and housing professionals in supporting terminally ill people at home. 

Marie Curie was invited by Community Housing Cymru to prompt wider discussions about how the quality of care can be improved in the future for people diagnosed with a terminal illness. Key findings from a new report ‘Dying at home: The role of social housing providers in supporting terminally ill people in Wales’ reveals that almost 60% of people die in hospital in Wales even though two thirds would prefer to die at home.

The study, undertaken in partnership with Community Housing Cymru, local authorities and Registered Social Landlords, looked into the different community-based models of care across Wales and whether the environment the person is in is suitable to both the person’s physical and social needs when diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Natasha Wynne, Policy and Public Affairs Assistant, Marie Curie Wales, said:

“The contribution that housing makes to the experience of someone with a terminal illness tends to be overlooked. We found that specialist accommodation for older people and people with particular conditions such as dementia have great potential to be suitable environments for delivering high quality support and care for people approaching the end of life.  

“Housing adaptations and equipment can also make a big difference to someone’s quality of life, and the support that housing staff can offer when they are properly trained on this issue can result in individuals being more prepared and able to live their final months as they wish. It is important that housing providers are supported to enable them to become part of a wider team that contributes to improving the wellbeing of someone with a terminal illness.”

The Marie Curie report makes a series of recommendations towards achieving these ends, which include:

• Frontline staff should receive sufficient training to support tenants with end of life needs and to maintain their own wellbeing, including training in how to comfortably approach conversations about the end of life;
• Creative and flexible uses of resources within sheltered housing and extra care schemes should be further pursued;
• Local authorities should actively involve housing providers in planning community based approaches to meeting end of life needs;
• Organisations responsible for setting policy, strategy and budgets should recognise the role that can be played by social housing providers in the provision of sustainable care and support for terminally ill people that more closely matches their needs and wants.

This year’s Health and Housing Conference started with a keynote address from Mark Drakeford AM, Minister for Health & Social Services and focused on the debate of how health, housing and the NHS can work together to make a difference to the lives of those in Wales.

Matt Kennedy, CHC’s Policy Officer for Care, Support and Health, said:

“An individual’s time at end of life is clearly precious and we must look at how we can keep people away from hospital, closer to their loved ones and in their own home in familiar, comfortable surroundings. Housing associations can, and some do, play a critical role in this and many of our members want to work more closely with colleagues in health to ensure that dying at home is a realistic option.

“The report indicates that through workforce training, better use of accommodation and close working between agencies we can produce much better outcomes for individuals. CHC looks forward to progressing the recommendations of today’s report, continuing our strong partnership with Marie Curie and, in working closely with our members, the NHS, the third sector and individuals receiving care, we can and must change the face of end of life care provision in Wales.” 

ENDS