Driven by Marie Curie Cancer Care, the initiative aims to give patients more choice in end of life care, and enable quality professional care to be delivered to more people in more locations.
Currently, more than half of all deaths in Leeds occur in hospital - the place most people would least like to be at the end of life.
The project, part of the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme, is set to develop and help provide the best possible service for palliative care patients in Leeds, allowing them to be cared for in the place of their choice.
Health Minister Rosie Winterton said:
"I am delighted to attend the launch of this initiative, which is an excellent example of how charities can work in partnership with the NHS to deliver quality care and patient choice.
"As outlined in our White Paper Our health, our care, our say, we are seeing a shift of care from hospitals to the community.
"By working together, and looking at new ways of providing services, we will achieve more flexible care, closer to home for patients.
"To further our work, my department will host a seminar for Marie Curie Cancer Care to share their findings from their Delivering Choice pilots with PCT commissioners, providers, social services and related agencies with a view to encourage them to explore the possibility of working with Marie Curie Cancer Care to establish Delivering Choice programmes in their areas."
Leeds Delivering Choice Project Manager Rachel Nixon said:
“I am really excited about this new project. Leeds is a very dynamic and diverse place, and giving more people more choice in end of life care will be a challenge. But a challenge we hope to meet.
“The first project in the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme in Lincolnshire is already showing we can enable people to be cared for at home if that is their wish.
"I feel this is what can be done if we are determined and able to work in partnership with other health and social care providers.”
The Leeds project is the third of its kind: similar projects are already running in Lincolnshire, and Tayside, Scotland. Marie Curie Cancer Care will be committing time and resources to this project over the next three years.
Marie Curie Cancer Care will be working in partnership with Leeds North East PCT, Leeds North West PCT, Leeds East PCT, Leeds South PCT, Leeds West PCT, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service, Social Services, St Gemma’s Hospice, and Sue Ryder Care Wheatfields.
Pictured (from top):
- Minister for Health, Rosie Winterton MP with Marie Curie Nurse Ann Vaughan and Senior Healthcare Assistant Janet South
- Minister for Health, Rosie Winterton MP and Tom Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive, Marie Curie Cancer Care
- Leeds Project team, (left to right) Pauline Scott, Project Co-ordinator and Rachel Nixon Project Manager
