It is not too late to put the brakes on assisted dying, and focus on what is really needed | Gordon Brown

"The shocking revelations from the National Audit Office and Hospice UK in October about the worsening financial crisis faced by end-of-life care are a sharp reminder of what needs to be changed if we are to be fair to dying people. No one can doubt the sympathy that the bill's supporters feel for the plight of those struggling with pain and fear at the end of their lives."

"The report revealed that financial shortfalls faced by hospices are growing by the year. Out of 2,000 beds in England, 380 are now out of use, removing thousands of days and nights of care every year. Staff at Hospice UK are aware of at least 20 hospices that have recently announced cuts, one of them being Derbyshire's Ashgate Hospice, which can now only afford to staff six out of its 15 inpatient beds."

"The result is that the number of patients cared for by hospices in the UK 310,000 last year has plateaued for the first time, and many hospices are now running waiting lists. According to the Commission on Palliative and End-of-Life Care, between 450,000 and 540,000 of the 600,000 people who die each year in the UK would have benefited from but didn't receive palliative care, either in a hospice or through hospice care in the community."

House of Lords committee sittings on assisted-dying legislation are scheduled for 5 and 12 December, and the Scottish assisted-dying bill has completed its second stage. Financial reports from the National Audit Office and Hospice UK show a worsening crisis in end-of-life care and growing hospice shortfalls. Of 2,000 hospice beds in England, 380 are out of use, and many hospices have announced cuts, including Ashgate Hospice which now staffs six of 15 inpatient beds. Hospice patient numbers plateaued at 310,000 last year. Between 450,000 and 540,000 of 600,000 annual deaths would have benefited from palliative care but did not receive it. Fifty-six percent of those with a preference say they would choose to die at home, yet 43% of deaths occur in hospitals. The priority should be improved end-of-life care rather than a hastily implemented law to allow doctors to administer death.

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