Focus on palliative care, not assisted dying – Dr

A palliative care expert has said the state of end-of-life care needs needs to be “fixed” before considering legalizing assisted dying.

MPs across the country are due to vote on Friday on whether to take the proposed bill to the next stage.

However, Dr Mike Blaber, a palliative care consultant at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said end-of-life care needed “urgent attention”.

It comes as hospices warn the sector faces a financial crisis, despite the Government’s pledge of support.

“[The bill] It’s not a case of expanding choice, because the best palliative care choice doesn’t exist right now, that needs to be corrected before we do anything else,” said Dr. Bleber.

The branch of medicine seeks to relieve pain and improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients, and in the best examples One can make a huge difference According to his and his family’s experience.

Dr Bleber is opposed to legalizing assisted dying, and says, if a new law is passed, vulnerable patients without access to good quality palliative care may feel pressured to end their lives.

He said he encountered patients who didn’t want to be “bothered” and feared the legislation would put “subtle pressure” on those who feel palliative care is no longer an option.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, he said the sector was “very underfunded”.

St Giles Hospice, in Lichfield, warned in the summer that it was dealing with a £1.5m deficit.

Its CEO Eleanor Eustice said sustainable funding was a “must” to ensure everyone needed end-of-life care.

He added that the parliamentary bill comes at a time when hospices are facing “an increasingly challenging period”.

Birmingham Hospice similarly announced in June that it was closing beds and cutting staff due to an estimated £2.4 million budget shortfall, despite high demand for its services.

Many others National Hospitals are in a similar position.

Hospice UK, which represents the sector, has requested £110m in emergency funding.

She said, “High-quality end-of-life and palliative care is currently not available to everyone who needs it.

The organization called on MPs to support “more investment”.

Earlier this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC he would “make sure we protect our hospices”, following concerns that National Insurance (NI) employer contributions Announcement of increase in budget, It will negatively affect hospice finances and their ability to help people.

“Caring for the chronically ill is not a burden, it’s a privilege and that’s what we should focus on,” said Dr. Bleber.