IN accordance with Dying Matters Awareness Week, residents are being urged to talk openly about death and bereavement to ensure their end of life wishes are met.

Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group is supporting the national campaign, taking place from May 9 to May 15, to encourage people to have the 'big conversation' and take a few practical steps to improve their end of life experience - for them and their loved ones.

These steps include: writing a will, making financial plans to protect loved ones, organising future care and support, recording funeral wishes and registering as an organ or tissue donor.

Research commissioned by Dying Matters shows that only 27 per cent of people let someone know their funeral plans, while just 38 per cent have written a will and less than 10 per cent have noted their care preferences.

Dr Richard Davies, interim chair and clinical lead for NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG, said: "It’s never easy to talk about dying and death, but hopefully Dying Matters Awareness Week will give people the confidence they need to have the appropriate conversations to make sure arrangements are in place.”

For more information about Dying Matters Awareness Week, visit dyingmatters.org/bigconversation.