Selective Quotation From The Strategic Plan

In trying to justify the closure of the Caterham hospice, Marie Curie Cancer Care has quoted the commitment to "double the number of people being cared for at home"  from the charity's strategic plan. What they don’t mention is that there is a similar commitment to "increase the number of patients using our hospices by 50 per cent", which is not going to be helped by closing Harestone.

Below are further extracts showing support for both home and hospice care:

Page 3: Welcome "With growing public awareness and concern around where care is delivered at the end of life, we know we must do even more to ensure Marie Curie Nurses are available to everyone who needs their support to be cared for at home."

But it also says: "Our hospices must develop and expand their services even further to meet the needs of their local communities."

Page 5. Key Themes and Targets "Marie Curie Nursing Service to grow by 100 per cent"

But it also says: "Care and support by our hospices to grow by 50 per cent"

Page 8. Delivering Growth "Over the next three years we aim to:  • be on track to double the number of patients we care for at home, to 35,000 per year by 2013  • be on track to double the number of hours of care we provide at home, to 2 million per year by 2013"

But it also says: "Over the next three years we aim to:  • increase the number of patients using our hospices by 50 per cent  • give care and support to 50 per cent more families and carers through services provided in and around our hospices and it continues: "We will:  • consider the role of our hospices as co-ordinators of all palliative care in their area. Our hospices will reach further into their communities and be seen locally and nationally as the heart of specialist palliative care services  • continue to modernise our hospices"

The Strategic Plan 2008-11 is available from the Marie Curie website.