Extending access to palliative care among key strategies to increase patient support

Launching the report, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said providing dignified end-of-life care 'goes right to the soul' of who we are. Picture: Niall Carson/PA 

Ensuring people have equal access to palliative care across the country is among 25 key changes in a strategy to support patients and their families.

The document also calls for the expansion of out-of-hours palliative care in the community and an increase in GP home visits to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

Launching the report, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said providing dignified end-of-life care "goes right to the soul" of who we are.

It is crucial that patients with life-limiting conditions and their families can easily access a level of palliative care service that is appropriate to their needs, allowing them to live as well as possible for as long as possible, and to ensure a ‘good’ death in as much as possible.

However, the report has highlighted regional inequities in terms of access to care.

Mr Donnelly said 49 extra palliative care beds have been opened over the last four years, adding that three new hospices will be coming on-stream.

"This policy document isn't about waiting several years it's about getting going now," he said, adding that €2m is being provided in 2024 to begin implementation of the new policy.

Improving public understanding of palliative care and support community engagement programmes in conjunction with service providers and voluntary groups is also a key priority within the strategy.

A survey carried out by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) found that over half of adults in Ireland feel "fearful" when they hear the term palliative care.

Welcoming the publication of the policy, AIIHPC Voices4Care member Brendan Kennelly said: "I am very hopeful that the new policy, if fully implemented and properly resourced, will lead to significant improvements in the delivery of appropriate palliative care in Ireland. 

In particular, I think that enhancing community-based palliative care, including out-of-hours palliative care, will enable more people to die in the community in line with their wishes and will also help to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions at end of life.

The strategy also aims to strengthen financial protection for people with life-limiting conditions and their families and stresses the importance of aligning palliative care services to the HSE Health Regions structures and addressing geographic variations in the provision of specialist palliative care services.

The Irish Hospice Foundation also welcomed the policy, which takes into account the range of patients requiring palliative care services, as well as the projected increase in Ireland’s older population.