The Access Fund ensures that no one is turned away from end-of-life doula support because they cannot afford to pay. End of Life Doula UK is the national membership charity for over 450 trained end-of-life doulas, providing practical, emotional, and companionship to people approaching death.
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The UK is a world leader in end-of-life care, yet access is deeply inequitable. Research shows that 1/5 dying people had no contact with their GP in the last 3 months of life, 50% of bereaved families were unhappy with at least one aspect of care, and 1/3 dying people were severely affected by pain in their final week. Only 5% of the end-of-life experience involves professional services; the remaining 95% falls on families and communities, many of whom are unprepared and unsupported.
End of Life Doula UK solves the problem through a community-based, non-medical support model delivered by over 450 trained end-of-life doulas. Doulas walk alongside people approaching death and those who care for them, providing continuous emotional, practical, and, if requested, spiritual support from diagnosis through dying and into bereavement. They fill the 95% of end-of-life time that falls outside formal clinical care, acting as advocates, companions, and coordinators.
