Report Names UK End-Of-Life And Hospice Care As ‘Best In World’

End-of-life care in the UK has been ranked as the best in the world with a study praising the quality and availability of services.

The results of the report coincide with national Hospice Care Week which is an annual event to raise awareness of hospice care throughout the UK and the crucial care hospices provide for patients and their families up down the country. It also highlights the special role of hospices in connecting with local communities.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, who are supporting Hospice Care Week, regularly represent clients who require end-of-life care and work closely with hospices to support them in providing their services for free.
The report by the Economist Intelligence Unit studied 80 countries and said that thanks to the NHS and hospice movement the care provided was ‘second to none’.

Annie Pannelay, the author of the report, said: "The UK is an acknowledged leader in palliative care. That reflects its comprehensive strategy towards the issue as well as the improvements that are being made.”

In 2010, a landmark ruling in a case led by Irwin Mitchell found that the insurers of the company responsible for the death of a worker should contribute to his hospice care costs. This then set the standard for recovering the cost of hospice care in personal injury cases.

Fay Marshall, a specialist asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office, has highlighted the importance of supporting hospices.

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“We see on a daily basis how hospice care can changes lives and provide dignity and compassion for people facing the end of their life.

“Our successful case rightly paved the way for hospice costs to be recovered in future cases and these funds help provide care which has rightly been recognised as the best in the world.

“We are proud to play a small part in supporting the hospices that provide care to our clients and their families in the most tragic of circumstances.” Fay Marshall - Solicitor

Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office works closely with a number of local hospices and in the few years since the landmark ruling has recovered in excess of £200,000 for local hospices.

Gail Chapman, Head of Fundraising at St Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds said: “Last year St Gemma’s supported over 3,000 local people and provided expert care and support to both patients and their loved ones.

“We have 250 staff and 800 volunteers. We receive around 29% of our £9 million annual running costs from the NHS and the rest needs to be raised from the community and we’re very grateful to a whole host of supporters.

"St Gemma’s is proud to be able to provide specialist end of life care to the people of Leeds, free of charge to patients and their families. We’re grateful to firms such as Irwin Mitchell for recovering costs from legal claims as this helps to ensure the hospice can continue caring for people with terminal illnesses in the future."