Around 35,000 people die each year in Wales, a figure that’s set to grow by 10% over the next 25 years.
In the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board the population over 85 years of age is higher than the Welsh average and is projected to grow at a faster rate than elsewhere in the country.
Old age can bring increasing frailty and a greater likelihood of multiple illnesses and complex care needs, with some older people requiring palliative care at the end of their lives.
Indeed, the charity Marie Curie, which provides care and support through terminal illness, estimates that 75% of all those who die will need some form of palliative care.
Everyone should have the right to the palliative care they need, yet shamefully, research by Marie Curie has found that even with all the care and support the NHS and its partners provide, around 6,200 people across Wales who need palliative care miss out on it each year because their needs are not recognised and they are not referred on to the right services.
People with terminal conditions other than cancer, such as dementia, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are much less likely to get the right care and the same is true of those aged over 85, people from poor backgrounds and rural areas, and members of the BAME (British, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities. This simply must improve.
In 2014, there were 7,550 deaths in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, over half of which occurred in a hospital setting. Whilst 81% of dying people express a preference to die at home, fewer than one in four do so. There are many barriers to people accessing the care they need, including the type of condition they have, and a lack of awareness around what palliative care is and what services are available. It is therefore crucial that we overcome these obstacles, particularly as existing data shows that the number of people in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board with palliative care need stands at 4,271, substantially higher than the Wales average of around 2,500 per local health board.
It is deeply concerning that only half of people over the age of 50 in the Wales – of whom there are 1.2 million - are confident that they will get the care they need towards the end of their life.
During my time as an Assembly Member I have heard some utterly heart-breaking stories from constituents where the needs and expectations of patients and their loved ones have not been met. It is clear that things need to change and this needs to start now.
Much has been done in Wales to improve palliative care services in recent years, 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.