NINE out of 10 nurses say they have seen dying patients stranded in hospital as a result of delays in funding that would have otherwise allowed them to be cared for at home or in the community.

And almost eight out of 10 nurses say they are worried about the effect of this year’s winter pressures on end-of-life care, a report published today by the Marie Curie cancer charity says.

Many nurses also raised concerns that patients are dying alone in hospitals and hospices because there are too few staff to spend time with them.