Charity loses 'crucial' end-of-life contract

Marie Curie says the charity has cared for 275 patients over the past year

A charity has said it is "devastating" to lose a contract to provide "crucial" overnight end-of-life care in Lincolnshire.

Marie Curie said it had been notified by the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) that the service, which provides care to people in their homes, would not be renewed.

The charity said it was "concerned that quality of care will be compromised by the ICB's decision".

The ICB said it was "committed to ensuring the delivery of high-quality palliative and end-of-life care for residents throughout Lincolnshire".

The charity said it had cared for 275 patients over the past year and "thousands" over the past two decades.

Sue Morgan, from Marie Curie in Lincolnshire, said: "It is devastating that such an important and long-standing overnight specialist end-of-life service will no longer be available to the people of Lincolnshire.

"Marie Curie's expert care is crucial for patients, providing immense comfort to them and their families. Our Healthcare Assistants give people calm and dignity at the end.

"We are concerned that quality of care will be compromised by the ICB's decision to change how overnight care is provided in the county."

'Integrated' service

In a statement, the ICB said it was "grateful to staff who have worked as part of the Marie Curie team delivering compassionate care".

The board said its strategy was to ensure that care services were delivered to people "irrespective of where they live in the county".

"We have been discussing over the last two years with Marie Curie how they could work alongside other providers to achieve this objective," a spokesperson said.

"We are disappointed that, despite ongoing dialogue, we have been unable to agree a delivery model and arrangement that includes the Marie Curie night service being part of the integrated whole system service for our patients."

Marie Curie said the contract term ran out on 31 March, but it had asked for a two-month extension to allow consultations with staff and "ensure continuity of care".

The ICB said the service would continue "whilst we agree an end date".

The Marie Curie Rapid Response Service, which operates between 08:00 and 20:00 is unaffected by the changes to the night service.

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