Fiona Bruce and John Culshaw campaign for improvements to care for the terminally ill

LOCAL MP FIONA BRUCE & JON CULSHAW CAMPAIGN FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO CARE FOR TERMINALLY ILL

Pledge of support comes as 86% of people agree everyone should have the right to palliative care

Congleton Constituency MP, Fiona Bruce, has pledged to champion the concerns of local people with a terminal illness by lending her support to Marie Curie’s campaign calling for improved support for palliative care when they need it.

Fiona teamed up with Marie Curie Nurse Sally Monger-Godfrey and renowned impressionist Jon Culshaw to back the campaign from the UK’s leading charity for people living with any terminal illness and their families.

The campaign comes as Marie Curie revealed that more than half of people over the age of 50 in the UK – of whom there are 26 million - are not confident that they will get the care they need towards the end of their life.

Currently, one in four people each year who need palliative care miss out on it because their needs are not recognised and they are not referred on to the right services.  To prevent this figure from increasing, Marie Curie is calling for a change in the way care is provided.

Jon Culshaw, a valued supporter of Marie Curie, said: “Like most of us, I believe that everyone should have the right to palliative care when they need it. That’s why I’m supporting Marie Curie’s campaign to make this a reality.”

Fiona has pledged to help ensure that any constituents who have a terminal illness know what services and benefits they are entitled to; and work with local NHS services to improve access to and quality of palliative care for those who need it.

Scott Sinclair, Head of Policy & Public Affairs for England at Marie Curie, said: We are incredibly grateful to Fiona for supporting Marie Curie’s campaign.  More needs to be done to ensure that people with a terminal illness get access to the high quality care and support they need and deserve.

“Making this a reality also requires support at a national level.  The Government can play its part by investing in palliative and end of life care services to help transform the way care is provided locally to people with a terminal illness now and in the future.”

 

If you or someone you’re close to has a terminal illness, you can call the Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm or visit mariecurie.org.uk/help.  You can also share experiences and talk to people in a similar situation on the Marie Curie community .