- 18/11/2015
- Posted by: David Rees MS
- Category: News
Aberavon AM, David Rees & Swansea East AM, Mike Hedges have pledged to champion the concerns of local people with a terminal illness by lending his support to a Marie Curie campaign calling for the right for everyone to have palliative care when they need it. David Rees AM & Mike Hedges AM teamed up with Marie Curie Senior Health Care Assistant Tracy Tucker at Ty Hywel in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday 17th November to back the campaign from the UK’s leading charity supporting people living with any terminal illness, and their families.
David Rees AM, said: “Marie Curie Nurses often provide support and care for people with a terminal illness when families are at crisis point and are in desperate need of their service. The work carried out by the nurses to support families and individuals living with a terminal illness is exceptional and they provide first rate care. I am supporting the charity’s campaign to raise awareness of their work and to ensure people are aware of the support available to them when they need palliative care services.”
Mike Hedges AM added: “The work Marie Curie Nurses carry out to care for and support people living with a terminal illness is truly outstanding. I am happy to support the charity’s campaign to ensure that people who need palliative care services don’t miss out at the time when they need that care the most.”
The campaign comes as Marie Curie revealed that only half of people over the age of 50 in the Wales – of whom there are 1.2 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. Marie Curie is calling on the Welsh Government to build on the good work already done to improve access to high quality palliative and end of life care for everyone with a terminal illness.
Both Mike Hedges and David Rees have 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.
In Aberavon Marie Curie has around 16 Nurses working in collaboration with the local Continuing Health Care Team and District Nurses and there are a further XX in Swansea East. This integrated service means that Marie Curie and its partners can provide tailored care for each patient’s needs, whether that be short visits for personal care, four hour respite visits or overnight care.
Simon Jones, Head of Policy & Public Affairs for Wales at Marie Curie, said: “We are incredibly grateful to David Rees and Mike Hedgesfor supporting Marie Curie’s campaign. Much has been done in Wales over recent years to improve palliative care services but we must all continue to work to ensure that everyone with a terminal illness, whatever illness that might be or wherever they live, gets the high quality care and support they need and deserve.”
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 .