Irish Cancer Society issue urgent appeal for nurses for end-of-life care at home

Demand for services for end-of-life care at home has increased by 20%

The Irish Cancer Society have issued a callout for nurses for what they describe as an “urgent” need to deal with a recent increase in the demand for end-of-life care at home. The Irish Cancer Society provide a free Night Nursing service to palliative patients choosing to die at home and being cared for by family and friends. The service gives help and support to these carers, especially at the advanced stage of a patient’s illness. Demand for the service has increased by 20% in recent weeks due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on hospitals in Ireland. The increase in requests for the service is increasing the demand on the night nursing team and the Irish Cancer Society are worried that they might not have enough nurses to care for everyone who requires the service. “Our Night Nurses perform a free and vital service for cancer patients at an incredibly difficult time and we want everyone who wants to avail of this support to have access to it,” said Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power. “Throughout this pandemic, the Irish Cancer Society Night Nurses have provided over 1,000 nights of care to help people spend their precious final days in the comfort of their home. “However, demand for the service has increased by 20% and we are concerned that we may not have enough nurses at the moment to reach everyone who needs our help. “As a result we really need more experienced nurses to provide care for as many people who want to avail of this service as possible.” Details on applying for a role can be found on www.cancer.ie/jobs or by emailing [email protected]. The Irish Cancer Society can only deliver services such as Night Nursing because of generous donations from the Irish public and is already facing a significant annual shortfall due to the impact of Covid-19. Information on how to donate to the Irish Cancer Society can be found here.