SW Essex PCT commits to better end of life care

South West Essex PCT has announced that it will be providing funds to enable better end-of-life care in the county after NHS chiefs admitted that too many patients are dying in hospital simply because there is nowhere else for them to go. The Trust is spending £161,000 on improving services such as palliative care and hospices-at-home as well as providing more places in residential and nursing care homes. Terminally-ill patients who want to die at home will also now have access to drugs that were previously available only to patients in hospital. The PCT aims to reduce the number of people in Essex that die in hospital by 75% over the next five years; Basildon Hospital currently has one of the highest death rates in England. Hospital spokeswoman Luenne Featherstone comments: ‘Sadly, many...patients die while waiting to be transferred to more appropriate care settings...We will continue to work very closely with NHS and community services to ensure sufficient hospice, residential and nursing home provision is available to transfer patients sooner.’