3 February 2011
Dan Poulter MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich and Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney today called for a debate in the House of Commons on hospice and end of life care.

Suffolk faces the growing challenges of looking after an ageing population, and providing support for families and patients with terminal and progressive illnesses is an increasingly important part of meeting that challenge.

During the debate Dr Poulter paid tribute to the excellent work carried out by hospices in Suffolk, in particular St Elizabeth’s hospice which provides first rate care for families and patients with progressive and terminal illnesses across Ipswich, Central and Eastern Suffolk.

Dr Poulter said:

“St Elizabeth Hospice provides an exceptionally high standard of care and support in a very holistic way to patients and families, through its 18 in patient and respite care beds through to its day care facilities and increasingly through the vital role that St Elizabeth’s plays in providing hospice outreach services to look after people in their own homes and communities throughout Suffolk.

I called this debate because as an NHS hospital doctor I know that hospice and end of life care has often been overlooked when it comes to NHS funding. PCT’s often fail to build good working relationships with local hospices, and there is a need to recognise that hospice care is not just about cancer but also about looking after the many other people with terminal and progressive illnesses, including COPD, heart disease and motor neurone disease.”

Peter Aldous said:

“It was very important to bring this issue to the attention of Parliament. There are many excellent examples of hospices in Suffolk caring for local people during the very difficult circumstances that surround the death of a close relative or friend. We should be doing all we can to support these hospices in their work, particularly in reaching out to different communities and providing support for people with terminal and progressive illness in their own homes.”

Paul Burstow MP, Minister for Health, who responded to the debate made clear the Coalition Government’s commitment to identifying hospice and end of life care as a clear funding priority, saying that the Government’s healthcare reforms will allow GPs to better interact and utilise the vital resource that hospices provide to the community. He also promised to look into ways of reducing the red tape and bureaucracy that forces hospices to spend money on administration, rather than on front line care and made a commitment to a per patient premium for hospice care.