COTSWOLD Care Hospice is calling for more support for people who wish to die at home.

Every day 15 people in Gloucestershire will die, 5,503 every year, according to statistics from End of Life Care local authority profile.

Of those people, 63 per cent would like to die at home yet at the moment only 23.4 per cent die at home.

As well as this, 48.8 per cent die in hospital, 3.4 per cent die in a hospice and 22.1 per cent die in a care home.

Now the charity is calling for more support, to help more people die at home if they want to.

Cotswold Care Hospice has seen a huge increase in demand for its Hospice at Home service where nurses support families caring for a loved one in their own home.

But there are just three hospices supporting people in Gloucestershire and only Sue Ryder in Cheltenham has a bedded unit with 16 beds.

Head of care services at Cotswold Care Hospice Sian Cole said: “In the past year we have seen a 35 per cent increase in the number of referrals to hospice at home service.

“There are still people out in the community who could benefit hospice at home support as well as hospice support. That’s why we are raising the profile and encouraging people to think about their care needs and to access hospice services.”

Nurses from the charity supported Roger Beard when he looked after his father.

“Dad really wanted to die at home. I said that was fine but it’s not until you actually commit yourself to having someone at home who is very ill as to what you are taking on,” said the 58-year-old from South Cerney.

“I wondered if I had done the right thing and it was then Cotswold Care Hospice was mentioned. It went very well after that and Dad was able to die at home in a way he wished.”

Gloucestershire's health and wellbeing Board is a partnership between local council representatives, the NHS and the wider community to improve the health of everyone. The board does not have end of life care listed as one of its priorities.

“We know there are huge pressures on the board but we would appeal to them to see the importance of end of life care,” added Mrs Cole. “We are all working together to look at how we can improve access and the reach of hospice at home services.

“We know the board recognises the value of end of life care but we would encourage them to make it a greater strategic prioirty. Every one of us deserve to die with dignity and respect and, if possible, the place of our choice.”