About Marie Curie
About This Shop
Marie Curie Cancer Care is one of the UK’s largest charities. Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, it expects to provide care to around 27,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in its 9 hospices this year and is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.
Around 70% of the charities income comes from the generous support of thousands of individuals, membership organisations and businesses, with the balance of the funds coming from the NHS. The charity is best know for its network of Marie Curie Nurses working in the community to provide end-of-life care, totally free for patients in their own homes.
Research – The charity has two centers for palliative care research, The Marie Curie Palliative Care Unit in London and the Marie Curie Research Institute, which investigates the causes and treatments of cancer.
Campaigning
Research shows that around 65% of people would like to die at home if they had a terminal illness, with a sizable minority opting for hospice care. However more than 50% of cancer deaths still occur in hospital, the place people say they would least like to be. Since 2004 Marie Curie Cancer Care has been campaigning for more patients to be able to make the choice to be cared for and die at home.
Delivering
In 2004 Marie Curie Cancer Care launched its first major palliative care service improvement plan, the Marie Curie Delivery Choice Programme, to provide greater choice for patients in end of life care. The programme has six projects underway across the UK – in Lincolnshire, Leeds, Tayside ( Scotland ), Barnet ( north London ), south east London and Somerset.