Shropshire Star comment: Support is crucial for hospices
Those who had reason to encounter the region’s hospices might reasonably wonder why they do not receive greater Government funding.
They are truly remarkable places and, contrary to popular opinion, they are where people go to live, rather than to die.
Modern hospices are all about making the most of the days ahead for life-limited patients, rather than descending into despondence and an unhappy end.
Many thousands of people from across the region have made a financial contribution to hospices and people whose loved ones have spent time realise just how remarkable they are.
It is devastating, therefore, that Severn Hospice will cut services because of a reduction in its NHS funding.
The cut is one that we can quantify quite easily for it will lead to the suffering and misery for two people who will no longer be eligible for beds at its in-patient centre. Their lives will be adversely affected.
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Anyone who has had a loved one suffering a serious illness or coming towards the end of life knows the importance of a hospice. It provides comfort, certainty and help at a time of intense vulnerability.
End-of-life care in general is not always straightforward or satisfactory and hospitals are certainly not the best places for palliative care.
A hospice, or supported care at home, is where people should live when time is running out.
The burden will simply go elsewhere in the system which means no overall savings will be made to the public purse. It is short-termism at its worst. The only ones to suffer are those who need to be cared for and their families who need the support of professionals who specialise in palliative care.
It is not too late for this decision to be reserved and pressure must be brought to bear on those who are able to exert influence. For it says much about the society in which we live if we do not support and care for those at the end of their lives. They are the ones to whom we should turn our attention and care for. We ought not to make savings or shun those who are in greatest need.
Hospices deserve support and now is the time to provide it. The beds should remain open. Funding should be found.
