Tag #Hospices

What are the immediate implications of the Assisted Dying bill for hospices in England and Wales, given their current financial and operational challenges?

The Assisted Dying bill in England and Wales, expected to have a key Commons vote this Friday, would legalize medically assisted death for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live. Hospices, central to palliative care, express uncertainty about the bill's impact on their services and funding, fearing potential pressure on patients to choose assisted death over palliative care. Rowcroft Hospice in Torquay, which serves 2,500 patients annually, highlights the financial strain already impacting hospice care, with concerns about increased death rates in the coming decades.