On Thursday 08 October 2026, a group of well‑known figures added their voices to a growing call for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to overhaul end‑of‑life services across England. Sharing personal stories of loss, they urged the government to guarantee that every person receives the calm, dignified care they deserve, rather than leaving outcomes to chance. Their appeal comes as Marie Curie research reveals that nearly one in three people in England die without adequate support – roughly 170,000 individuals each year – and warns that demand for palliative services could climb by about 25% by 2048.
Personal testimonies highlight inequities
Sir Michael Palin recalled the “calm and dignified end” his wife received in the care of Marie Curie, insisting that “everyone should have access to the care they need and deserve.” He described the support as “wonderful, thoughtful and caring” and said it had delivered her “from much of the pain and discomfort she’d endured for years.”
Alison Steadman, a Marie Curie ambassador, echoed the sentiment, stating: “Like my mum, everyone deserves a good death. High-quality end of life care should be available for everyone, not a ‘nice to have’ if you are lucky.” She added that her mother’s passing had shown her what a proper farewell looks like.
Larry Lamb spoke of being able to “say goodbye properly” to his brother in a Marie Curie hospice, noting: “I can only imagine what it would have been like for Wes to not get the pain relief he needed in his final days. But this is a reality for many people. We all deserve to die in dignity and something needs to change to make that happen.”
Chris Kamara remembered his mother dying “supported, with the right medication and the specialised care for someone who was dying,” but warned: “I know how lucky we were – but it shouldn’t be down to luck. Not enough people get this, and it simply isn’t right.” He urged Burnham to follow through on his earlier pledge to fix palliative care funding.
Russell T Davies shared how Marie Curie nurses enabled his husband Andrew to die at home in 2018, exactly where he wished to be. He reflected: “It was sad to think how easily it could have been different,” and stressed that “we need to look after people who are dying properly, and right now that’s too much of a battle.”
Data reveals growing need
The charity’s own analysis shows that almost one in three people in England lack adequate palliative care at the end of life, translating to roughly 170,000 people annually. A joint letter to the government earlier this year warned that overall demand for palliative services is projected to increase by around 25% by 2048, driven by an ageing population and a rise in complex illnesses.
Marie Curie also pointed to a survey conducted with Nursing Standard, in which more than half of 1,050 frontline nurses reported having delivered end‑of‑life care in a corridor, illustrating the patchy nature of current provision across the UK.
Calls for a funded national strategy
Matthew Reed, chief executive of Marie Curie, said the charity needs the governments of all four nations to act, but stressed that “our eyes are on Westminster as England can lead the way in publishing a workable strategy, backed by funding, that would drag us into the 21st century and look after our dying with care and compassion, not chance or luck.”
The organisation is urging the Treasury to commit to a £200 million‑a‑year three‑year fund to provide short‑term support for any forthcoming plan. It argues that without such investment, shifting more care from hospitals into the community will remain unattainable.
Among the concrete measures Marie Curie advocates are: universal 24/7 access to support via the 111 helpline, improved availability of specialist end‑of‑life medicines, and a two‑hour urgent community response service that operates at all times for people with palliative needs.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care responded: “We recognise the financial pressures many hospices are currently facing and are working with the sector and NHS partners to create a more sustainable funding approach, so patients and families can continue to get the care they need. The Prime Minister and Health Secretary have made clear their commitment to improving palliative care, including through our new Modern Service Framework, which will help address some of the most significant challenges facing the sector, including regional variations in access and quality, gaps in provision, and workforce shortages.”
Why it Matters
The convergence of celebrity testimony and stark statistics underscores a pressing injustice: too many people in England face their final days without the pain relief, companionship, and dignity that proper palliative care can provide. As the population ages and illnesses become more complex, the gap between need and provision threatens to widen, turning a fundamental human right into a postcode lottery. Acting now with a fully funded, nationwide strategy would not only honour the wishes of those nearing the end of life but also relieve the anguish of families who deserve to say goodbye properly, rather than wonder whether luck dictated the quality of their loved one’s last moments.
