On Wednesday (February 3) Mark Isherwood MS will lead the Welsh Conservative debate (Item 6) on Support for Palliative Care during the Pandemic.
Welsh Conservative Mr Isherwood, who is Chair of the Cross Party Group (CPG) on Hospices and Palliative Care, said:
“This is of course a sensitive and emotive subject at all times, but the pandemic and lockdowns, now into their eleventh month, have made it all the more timely and, even if a difficult subject, an essential one to debate.”
Mr Isherwood, who also chairs the CPG on Cross-party Group on Funerals and Bereavement, said that the effect on the provision of palliative care during this unprecedented health crisis has been badly felt not just by those receiving care, but also their families, adding:
“The pandemic has seen a greater number of people requiring palliative care services, with research by Hospice UK showing that an additional 4,000 people in Wales will have needed palliative care services during the pandemic, which broadly equates to a 16 percent increase in demand in comparison with the previous year. Data from Macmillan Cancer Support indicates that between March and September 2020, England and Wales saw the number of people dying at home increase by a third compared to pre-pandemic levels, with most of these deaths unrelated to coronavirus. This puts additional pressure on families at an already terribly difficult time.
“And so, we are calling on the Welsh Government to significantly increase financial support for cross-sector palliative care and bereavement support services in the next financial year to meet the increased, and more complex needs, arising from the pandemic, because patients with long-term and terminal illnesses must be allowed access to the care they and their families want.
“However, our focus, too, is on those providing end-of-life care. The Royal College of Nursing has warned that nurses are exhausted, stressed, and near burnout due to the pandemic and the additional pressure of providing end of life care.
“Our doctors and nurses must be given a proper support network to help with post-traumatic stress and their emotional wellbeing so that they can continue to provide the exceptional levels of care, in all senses of the word, they are known and respected for.”
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