2,500 terminally ill patients denied hospice care

Up to 2,500 terminally ill patients are being denied hospice inpatient care every year because of repeated government failures to meet “best practice” standards.

A report by the Irish Hospice Foundation made the finding after warning that three times the current amount of hospice beds are needed to meet demand.

According to the group, despite international best practice guidelines suggesting 450 hospice beds should be available in Ireland, just 155 are in place.

The situation means thousands of people are unable to access the care they need in the last days of their lives.

With 15 counties across the country — including Kerry, Waterford, Wexford, and Kilkenny — having no hospice inpatient beds at all, the IHF said in many cases the issue simply comes down to geographical bias.

IHF chief executive Sharon Foley said: “Not having access to inpatient hospice beds has a critical impact on whether a patient dies in an acute hospital or not.

“We are calling on the Government to explore what might be achievable through a broad end-of-life strategy.”

The IHF said that, based on current population figures, there should be 450 hospice beds in the country. However, only 155 hospice beds are available.

A further 44 beds are ready in Blanchardstown and Cork, but are not yet operational because of funding shortages.

Three regions — the north-east (Louth, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan), the midlands (Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Longford) and the south-east (Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow) — have no hospice service while Wicklow, Mayo, and Kerry have no hospice inpatient unit, the IHF said.

Report author Eugene Murray warned that demand for hospice care is set to increase to more than 12,500 people in 2016.

“While only 26% of all deaths in Ireland occur in the home, 40% of patients cared for by home care teams die at home.

“Given that these will often be patients with the most complex care needs, this is a great tribute to hospice home care teams countrywide.

“But where keeping the patient at home is not feasible and there is no hospice in a region, the home care team has no choice but to look for admission to an acute hospital.”

The report found home care services in areas where palliative care is under-resourced was better than in regions with hospice beds, with the number of home care nurses per patient population in the north-east, midlands, and the south-east higher than the national average.

It also revealed the estimated cost per patient receiving specialist palliative home care support is just €686.

An estimated 6,000 people died in a hospice last year but areas with limited access to a hospice recorded more cancer deaths in hospital.

Cancer is Ireland’s second biggest killer, accounting for more than 8,000 deaths.