Leading cancer care charity Macmillan Cancer Relief comments on research published in the BMJ today which found that the wishes of terminally ill cancer patients who want to die at home, instead of in hospital, should be given priority by policy makers.

Peter Cardy, Chief Executive, Macmillan Cancer Relief, said: 'We're not surprised to learn that the number of terminally ill cancer patients who die at home has dropped. The Public Accounts Committee report Tackling Cancer: Improving the Patient Journey highlighted in January that, despite four out of five cancer patients wanting to die at home or in a hospice, half of them will die in hospital.

'This analysis shows conclusively for the first time that more can be done to enable patients to die at home if they wish, and that careful assessment in plenty of time makes a big difference to whether their wishes are met. Palliative care provision remains a postcode lottery, with services and staffing levels taking no account of population or need, so it's no surprise that the system lets down those in their last days. The NHS must do more to respect cancer patients' dying wishes.'

macmillan