Dying Matters Awareness Week 2022

Over 100,000 additional people have died at home across the UK since the start of the pandemic, compared to long term rates. However, whilst the stories of those who died from COVID-19 in hospitals and care homes have shaped our image of the pandemic, very little is known about the experiences of people who have died at home, their loves ones and the frontline workers who cared for them.

Maureen Anderson’s parents both died at home, within weeks of each other, during the first wave of the pandemic and received inconsistent and often poor community care from the NHS and carers who were meant to support them. Maureen’s Mum was discharged from hospital without pain medication or incontinence pads and struggled to access specialist services.

Hospice UK’s Dying Matters campaign believes Maureen’s story is one of many and estimates that almost 67,000 people have died at home without the right end of life care in place since the start of the pandemic. Health and care staff have worked incredibly hard throughout - but Hospice UK is saying they need better support.

The Dying Matters campaign, which aims to encourage more open conversations about death, dying and grief, is raising awareness of this issue by holding a parliamentary drop-in event in Westminster on 6 July, where MPs and Peers will have the opportunity to meet Maureen and hear her story.

This Dying Matters Awareness Week (2-6 May), we are also asking people to share their stories so we can better understand the challenges facing the thousands of families, like Maureen's, who've cared for a loved one at home, and ensure everyone can get the expert end of life care they need - now, and in the future.