A large majority of financial support comes from charitable sources and inevitably this results in those areas with lower socio-economic communities having the least concentrated high level terminal care.

This is the case in Warwickshire where neither Nuneaton nor Rugby have inpatient beds dedicated to end of life support.

Most patient wish to die at home, but should any problems arise that cannot be managed there it means that patients have to be admitted to local hospitals (George Eliot or UHCW) via A&E and on to the general medical wards rather than specialised terminal care beds.

Unfortunately acute admission to casualty may not be supported by all the necessary background medical history and patients may die there and sadly CPR attempts on patients may be inappropriately carried out.

Many such admissions can  be avoided and a pilot study of an innovative Rapid Response Service was set up in Nuneaton nine months ago. This initially provided overnight care and responds within one hour of a call to fully support patients and in their own homes during their last 72 hours of life.

The results have been very heartening with a major reduction in the number of patients being admitted and the vast majority able to die in comfort at home.
This is now expanding to cover both night and day and include patients in Rugby.

The ongoing maintenance of this service and the necessary expansion can only proceed with additional funding.

I have been very impressed by everyone at Mary Ann Evans Hospice and this is why I am taking part in the Everest Base Camp Trek along with 18 other team members, many of whom are medics who share the view that this is a very worthwhile project.

All trekkers will be self-funded and monies raised from the trek will go directly into these patient services and not to administration or management costs.