PCTs must provide funding for end of life home care

Setting up fast-response nurse teams to allow patients to die at home is included in the government’s End of Life Care Strategy for England.

Last week, Professor Mike Richards, the Department of Health’s national clinical director for cancer and end-of-life care, called on PCTs to provide funding for 24-hour community nursing services for people coming to the end of their lives at home or in a care home.

He said trusts should ensure that there was sufficient nursing cover so patients would not have to go into hospital unnecessarily.

‘PCTs need to spend cash on good 24-hour community nursing services because that is how we avoid admission to hospital. We want them to look at this and see where their priorities should be,’ he said at a Westminster Health Forum conference in London.

He added: ‘It is quite clear that more training is required. A major role for trusts in this is to make sure staff time is made available so they can go on courses.’

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