More terminally ill patients are being allowed to die at home, government health advisers have revealed.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) revealed figures which showed fewer patients were dying in hospital and more were passing away at home or in a care home or hospice.
Waitress 'may have been wearing headphones' when she was crushed by lorry
In England almost one in four of the 500,000 people a year who died did so at home, data published by Public Health England (PHE) revealed.
The Guardian reported In 2016, accounting for all the deaths, 23.5% occurred in the person’s home, 5% more than did so in 2004.
Gillian Leng, NICE’s deputy chief executive, said: ‘Patients should have the opportunity, wherever possible, to die in the place of their choosing, with their symptoms effectively managed.’
Rick Wright, the policy manager for England, at Marie Curie, the charity that helps terminally ill people, said: ‘It is really positive news that more people are now dying in their own home, as our research also shows that this is most people’s preference.
‘The key focus, for both health and social care, should be to ensure that, no matter where people die, they are able to access the care and support they need. Without the proper support in place people will continue to experience unnecessary pain and distress.’
The PHE said the trend showed more people were choosing to die at home, in the company of relatives and friends, instead of dying in a hospital bed.
[contf] [contfnew] 
METRO
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
