Monthly Archives: May 2011
Cancer patients denied last wish to die at home because of shortage of nurses
Cancer patients denied last wish to die at home because of shortage of nurses
70,000 cancer patients in England and Wales die in a hospital bed every year, despite wanting to be at home
Denis Campbell, health correspondent guardian.co.uk, Saturday 28 May 2011 20.04
Only 27% of cancer patients are able to die at home, even though a survey suggests 73% would prefer to do so.
Tens of thousands of cancer patients are dying in hospital, despite wishing to end their lives at home, because of a “shameful” lack of NHS nurses, campaigners say.
800,000 ‘not given help with social care’
800,000 ‘not given help with social care’
By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News
Age UK says 800,000 people are excluded from the system – and the figure is set to top one million within four years.
It said budgets had hardly risen in recent years even before the squeeze, despite the ageing population.
The charity renewed its call for an overhaul of the system, something ministers are looking at.
Funding rise
Social care in England is means-tested, which means those with savings of over £23,250 are excluded.
But councils have also been making it more difficult for those who do meet the income threshold to get care, by tightening the eligibility criteria.
Six years ago, half of councils provided support to people with moderate needs, but that figure has now dropped to 18%.
It means only 1.2 million are getting formal care either at home or in a care home – although some of these are being forced to pay for the services themselves anyway, as they exceed the income cap.
Register may make life easier for those with MS
Register may make life easier for those with MS
By DAISY WALLAGE
Monday, May 30, 2011
8.30 AM
A solution to the country’s “shocking” record on multiple sclerosis (MS) care could be in the hands of patients themselves under a pioneering new project.
The MS Society has warned that the UK is one of the worst countries in Europe in which to have the neurological condition, with “patchy care”, a shortage in expert nurses and neurologists who are “stretched to the limit”.
It is launching a new register combining patient details and routine NHS information with expert clinical data to support future research and hopefully transform the delivery of drugs, care and services.
