Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has pledged to continue to champion the concerns of constituents with a terminal illness, by lending her support to Marie Curie’s campaign calling for the right for everyone to have palliative care when they need it.

Catherine joined up in Parliament recently with Marie Curie Nurse, Sally Monger-Godfrey, and impressionist and Marie Curie supporter, Jon Culshaw, to back the campaign from the UK’s leading charity for people living with any terminal illness and their families.

The campaign comes as Marie Curie revealed that more than half of people over the age of 50 in the UK – of whom there are 26 million – are not confident that they will get the care they need towards the end of their life.

Currently, one in four people each year who need palliative care miss out on it because their needs are not recognised and they are not referred on to the right services.  To prevent this figure from increasing, Marie Curie is calling for a change in the way care is provided.

As part of the campaign, Catherine has pledged to help ensure that any constituents who have a terminal illness know what services and benefits they are entitled to; and to work with local NHS services to improve access to and quality of palliative care for those who need it.

Catherine said:

‘We all hope that as we – or our loved ones – come to the end of our lives we will be able to die with as little pain as possible, with dignity and care at the place our choosing – but that’s sadly still not the case for far too many people. I’m really pleased to give my support to Marie Curie’s campaign, as I know how important good palliative care is at this most challenging of times.’

Anyone with a terminal illness, or those affected, can call the Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309 from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or visit mariecurie.org.uk/help. They can also share experiences and talk to people in a similar situation on the Marie Curie community.

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