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A new approach to palliative and end-of-life care in hospitals
Our vision: Alongside suites and a new ecosystem for palliative and end-of-life care (PEoLC).
At Sue Ryder, we believe no one should face death or grief alone. We want to make sure that everyone approaching the end of their life gets the support they need.
enables more people to access the end-of--life care they need
relieved pressure on NHS resources
improves knowledge
increases early intervention
tackles the current inequalities access to palliative and end-of-life care
Why it's needed
One third of hospital inpatient care is for people in the last year of life.
74% of people would choose to die at home.
43% of deaths occur in hospital.
87% of people don’t have a care plan.
Currently, 1 in 4 people die without the support they need.
Our five-point plan
Provide a new approach to hospital care
Develop dedicated Sue Ryder spaces on NHS sites to provide compassionate, tailored care for those nearing the end of life relieve pressure on hospital teams, and increase acute bed productivity.
Increase support for people in their own homes
Expand car Expand care in the community through partnerships, virtual wards, and increased hospice-at-home services, helping more people die at home, and reducing emergency admissions.
Integrate hospice services with neighbourhood health infrastructure
Make full use of hospices’ care and expertise to support people in the last 1,000 days of life and those with complex multi-morbidities – helping people to live well and prevent emergency admissions.
Enhance training and collaboration
Ensure healthcare professionals can access the right training to better support people approaching the end of life and improve system working.
Provide knowledge and resources to patients
Help people to record their wishes for the end of life, so more of their needs are met by the people involved in their care.
Our solution for this is to create specialist Sue Ryder palliative care wards within hospitals, offering a “home-from-home” experience.
As part of a new approach to hospital care, we want to develop specialist Sue Ryder Alongside Suites within hospital grounds, where we know too many people are spending their last days.
These suites will help people to receive the care they deserve.
Once in our care, we can also support people back into the community, helping people be in the place they most want to be – home.
Or, for people needing end-of-life care, our suites would offer a “home for home” setting that people value so greatly within our hospices.
This approach would:
guarantee 24/7 specialist PEoLC within hospitals, with patients being able to quickly access appropriate care
help ensure beds can be used more efficiently – by absorbing patients from other wards, and increasing referrals into community settings
actively address health inequalities by ensuring the diverse patients within acute settings can access the care they need.
How PEoLC delivery could be different
Developing PEoLC services, in the right place, caring for patients at the right time
Increasing PEoLC into the community
Integrating hospice services within a neighbourhood health approach
Improving everyones understanding and knowledge of PEoLC, including professionals
Changing the way hospice services are funded, addressing inequality at source.
Get in touch
We’d love your support in bringing our vision to life. By working together, we can provide a place for patients at the very end of life.
Please contact Sue Ryder for more information, or for an initial discussion about how alongside suites could work in your Trust.
Our Chief Executive, James Sanderson, sets out Sue Ryder's recommendations to the Government on how the NHS 10-Year Plan can support terminally ill people.
