Overnight Hospice at Home service to end

Leading cancer care charity Marie Curie has been notified by the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) that its contract, which sees Marie Curie Healthcare Assistants provide specialist overnight end of life care at home – was not renewed at the end of March. 

Charity leaders have requested a two-month extension from the ICB to allow them to consult with affected staff compassionately and ensure continuity of care. The charity says the impacted staff have collectively supported thousands of dying people and their families in the county for two decades.

The Marie Curie Rapid Response Service, which operates between 8am – 8pm, is unaffected by the changes to the Marie Curie night service. This service provides critical care to prevent hospital admissions and supports people to remain at home surrounded by the people and things they love.

Sue Morgan, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Services at Marie Curie for Lincolnshire, said: “It is devastating that such an important and long-standing overnight specialist end of life service will no longer be available to the people of Lincolnshire.

“Marie Curie’s expert care is crucial for patients, providing immense comfort to them and their families. Our Healthcare Assistants give people calm and dignity at the end – with one chance to get it right.

“We are concerned that quality of care will be compromised by the ICB’s decision to change how overnight care is provided in the county.”

She said the ICB has designed its delivery model to one of domiciliary care therefore specialist end of life care is no longer provided. She did not know if patients have been consulted on the change.

“Over the last couple of years, the cost of delivering our specialist care has risen and NHS funding has not kept pace. This cannot continue. We understand the NHS’s financial pressures, but ICBs are responsible for commissioning local end of life care that meets the needs of the community.”

A statement from the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board says it is committed to ensuring the delivery of high-quality palliative and end of life care for residents throughout Lincolnshire.

They stated: “We have heard from patients and their families that their experiences of support has been variable. We have been working with partners across health and care to develop a palliative and end of life strategy that enables health and care agencies to work together and with communities to provide the highest quality of care, communication and support to patients and those who are important to them.

“The Marie Curie night service has been part of the community services provided throughout Lincolnshire for patients at the end of their life. We are grateful to the staff who have worked as part of the Marie Curie team delivering compassionate care to individuals in parts of Lincolnshire.

"As part of our strategy the ICB has committed to ensuring that individuals, families and carers are able to receive the care they require irrespective of where they live in the county. We have been discussing over the last two years with Marie Curie how they could work alongside other providers to achieve this objective. We are disappointed that, despite ongoing dialogue, we have been unable to agree a delivery model and arrangement that includes the Marie Curie night service being part of the integrated whole system service for our patients.”

To ensure there is no disruption to patient services and to support Marie Curie in managing the transition arrangements, the ICB says it has agreed that Marie Curie night services will continue whilst they agree an end date with Marie Curie.

They added: “We will be working with our other community end of life care providers that are supported by our community specialist palliative care teams to ensure that during this transition patients, families and carers continue to have their care needs and wishes met.”

The charity says it will keep pushing the UK government and ICBs to invest further in palliative and end of life care, so that more people get the right care at the right time, regardless of their illness, circumstances, where they live or receive care.

The charity’s free Information and Support service, including its support line (0800 090 2309) and online resources, are also available to the people of Lincolnshire who need a listening ear to discuss issues around terminal illness, dying, death and bereavement.

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