People with terminal illnesses suffered as friends, family and unpaid carers struggled to source pain relief in the pandemic. A survey of 995 people, conducted by Marie Curie, revealed some people died in unneccesary pain.
Figures have shown that people dying from home rose by 42% in the past year. The survey revealed two third of carers had a loved one who didn’t get vital pain relief they needed.
Susan Lowe cared for her mother Sheila during the lockdown. She added that, during lockdown, the system was “under so much pressure”. Susan and Sheila “had to manage largely on our own”
Susan would be in tears after the pharmacist explained the medicine her mother needed was not available. “My biggest regret is that my mum died in pain… She really wanted to be comfortable at the end. She knew she was dying.”
Organisations under pressure due to the pandemic
PPE, medicine, equipment and staff shortages were prevalent during Covid 19. Research by universities, in collaboration with Marie Curie, shows that palliative care is not considered “Frontline NHS”. As a result of this, the last year has been a stress test for community based care homes.
Chief executive Matthew Reed voiced his concern about the pressure on the unsing heroes.
Its heartbreaking to see that people are dying at home and their carers struggled behind closed doors.
Marie Curies is calling for the Government to help fund end of life care, seeing it as the essential service it is. The office of National Statistics (ONS) figures showed that those dying at home rose by 42%. The role of unpaid carers have never been more vital.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said
“Unpaid carers continue to perform an incredibly important role and throughout the pandemic we have taken action to support them. This includes funding through a number of charities, tailored guidance, and ongoing work to help carers access the support they need.”
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