Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson MSP, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch joined Marie Curie Cancer Care at the Scottish Parliament this week to learn more about the work carried about by the charity to provide free end of life care to people with terminal illnesses.

Sporting one of the charity’s daffodil pins in support of the annual Great Daffodil Appeal, Dave Thompson MSP spoke to Marie Curie nurses and staff about the free end of life care available to local communities across Scotland.

During the event, sponsored by Mary Scanlon MSP, Dave Thompson MSP was also informed about the importance of donations in helping Marie Curie nurses provide more free care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes or one of the charity’s hospices. Every 5 minutes someone in the UK dies without the care they need at the end of their life. Each donation received by Marie Curie helps look after more people at the end of their life in their place of choice.

People across Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch can support Marie Curie Cancer Care by:

• Raising awareness by making a donation and wearing a daffodil pin in March.
• Leaving a gift in their will.
• Taking part in one of Marie Curie’s events – there is something to suit everyone from highland walks to skinny dips.
• Joining a fundraising group and helping with fundraising in their local community.
• Volunteering their time – from supporting Marie Curie’s shops and hospices to helping at events.

Commenting on this, Dave said: “Marie Curie is a fantastic charity which provides an exceptional level of care for people struggling with cancer.

“They not only offer nursing support for those suffering, but are also a huge comfort and support to the families.

“Cancer affects people of all ages and can be a challenging time for friends and family, but Marie Curie nurses provide the highest standards of care which is a huge help to all those affected by Cancer.

Commenting upon the importance of continued support for the charity, Emily Hogg, Legacy Adviser who organised the event for Marie Curie said: “Every March, people can support our Great Daffodil Appeal by making a donation and wearing one of our daffodil pins. However, there are many ways for people to support Marie Curie all year round.  For example, we depend greatly on the donations left to us in Wills and every gift, whatever size, helps us to meet the challenges of providing free care for terminally ill patients. Currently Gifts left in Wills fund the equivalent of two in every three Marie Curie Nurses so are a vital income stream to the charity.

To access a Marie Curie Nurse, speak to your GP or district nurse.

For more information on any of the above, please visit: www.mariecurie.org.uk.

Notes:

Marie Curie Cancer Care is one of the UK’s largest charities. Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, it provided care to more than 35,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in its nine hospices last year and is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.

Funding

Around 70 per cent of the charity’s income comes from the generous support of thousands of individuals, membership organisations and businesses, with the balance of our funds coming from the NHS.

Marie Curie Nurses

The charity is best known for its network of Marie Curie Nurses working in the community to provide end of life care, totally free for patients in their own homes.

Research

The charity provides core funding for three palliative care research facilities; the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit at University College London, the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool and the Marie Curie Palliative Care Centre at the Wales Cancer Trials Unit (Cardiff University). The charity also supports palliative and end of life care research through its project grant funding streams, the Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Programme (administered by Cancer Research UK) and the Dimbleby Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Fund. Both research programmes aims to tackle the funding and knowledge gap in palliative and end of life care research, which in turn will benefit patients, families and carers. The charity also funds seven fundamental scientific research groups which investigate the causes and treatments of cancer. This research was previously carried out at the Marie Curie Research Institute in Oxted, Surrey. The programmes are now located in universities around the country, and will receive funding from the charity until March 2013.

The right to die in place of choice

Research shows around 63 per cent of people would like to die at home if they had a terminal illness, with a sizeable minority opting for hospice care. However, more than 50 per cent of cancer deaths still occur in hospital, the place people say they would least like to be. Since 2004 Marie Curie Cancer Care has been campaigning for more patients to be able to make the choice to be cared for and die in their place of choice.