Irish Cancer Society: Urgent need for registered nurses for end-of-life care service in Meath & Louth By Caitriona Rooney Patients wishing to spend their final days at home are facing a more urgent need for palliative care night nurses than at any point in the pandemic, the Irish Cancer Society has said.
While there has been a nationwide rise in demand for the Society’s Night Nurses - who offer a free service for end-of-life patients provided in their own home - during the pandemic as patients seek to spend their final days in the company of their family at home, the impact of this trend has been particularly felt in some areas facing staffing shortages.
More people opt to die at home
Demand for night nursing service rose by over a fifth last year
The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) says requests to die at home are increasing due to hospital restrictions, and they have identified a 76 per cent increase in demand for their night nursing service in some parts of the country.
The ICS says that due to hospital restrictions on visitors, more people than ever prefer to spend their final days at home. The ICS Night Nursing Service is complementary to community Palliative Care or Primary Care Teams.
Requests for the free service for patients being cared for by family and friends in their homes surged by as much as 76 per cent in Kildare, 70 per cent in Wicklow and 60 per cent in Dublin in 2020.