Our vision for End of Life Care   You are here: Home » Long Term Conditions » End Of Life Care Strategy

NHS Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group has identified improvement of End of Life Care (EoLC) services as a key local priority.

EoLC accounts for a high proportion of NHS spending. It is estimated to be at least a fifth of NHS costs, and a total of £20 billion. Over the longer term, investment will need to shift away from the acute sector to the community, in order to reduce the number of people dying in hospital and to increase the number of people dying in their preferred place.

As we face the long-term challenge of an ageing population at a time of shrinking financial resources, it is vital that we get end of life care right. Failure to do so will result in spiralling costs for the public sector, and more importantly, a human cost for all of us who want to reach the end of our lives with dignity and control.

Of a population of 246,956 in Milton Keynes, approximately 1490 people die each year - which equates to 4 people a day. More than half of these people die in Milton Keynes Hospital.

Of  the 1490 who die 1233 have palliative care needs.

Of the 1490 yearly adult deaths in MK, the leading cause of death is circulatory disease which reflects the national picture. However MK has a higher than average rate of deaths relating to respiratory disease. (Data from Marie Curie Cancer Care Atlas 2011)

« Go back | Report Link | Top of page ^