News this week of the temporary closure of inpatient admissions at St Mary’s Hospice Ulverston should cause alarm bells across health and social care.

Against a UK-wide backdrop of serious long-term challenges facing hospice and palliative care providers, this is not the first, and will not be the last, casualty of an end of life care system creaking at the seams.

The Government urgently needs to get serious about the long-term challenges facing the health and social care system. Currently in the UK, every five minutes someone dies without the care and support they need.

This issue is compounded in Cumbria, a predominately rural geography, which means many already experience a postcode lottery for care.

With the numbers of people dying each year steadily rising, it is likely that continued staff shortages will mean more people at the end of their lives receiving insufficient care.

This creates distressing situations that have long-term mental health impacts on families and carers.

The health and social care workforce is passionate and capable, but needs the numbers to tackle increasing demand.

We need a proper Government-led conversation about long-term planning for the delivery of end of life care to address these issues.

The alternative is, expect to see more headlines about dying people missing out.

Karen Torley, Marie Curie Divisional General Manager, North