The opportunity to transform palliative and end-of-life care can’t be missed

Over the past six years, there has been significant attention on the issues facing palliative and end-of-life care. With a new Prime Minister and Health Secretary now in place, that momentum must not stop.

For too long, people have been denied the care they deserve at the end of life – more must be done for dying people now and in the future.

Despite its vital role in supporting people with terminal illnesses, palliative and end-of-life care is not reaching everyone who needs it.

Almost 1 in 3 people do not get the care they need at the end of life (1) and inequities in access persist. For example, ethnic minorities, patients with a non-cancer diagnosis, the “oldest old” (over 85s) and those living in rural or deprived areas are less likely to access palliative care. (2)

Too many people have to make frequent visits to A&E and are admitted to hospital in the last weeks and months of their lives, much of which could be prevented with the right care earlier on in their illness.

Over 40% of deaths in England occur in hospital, (3) even though most people would choose to die at home. (4) This overuse of hospitals is not only distressing for many patients but puts unnecessary strain on our already stretched health service.

There has been recent media coverage on the pressure for more funding for hospices; however, we need to consider if this will be a long-term solution.

While additional investment will of course be required to meet the increasing demand for palliative and end-of-life care, simply increasing funding to sustain existing models of care is unlikely to deliver the transformation that is so desperately needed.

There needs to be broader reform of the system, which is focused on the needs of everyone who requires palliative and end-of-life care and reflects an increasing preference to receive care at home.

Sue Ryder’s proposed ecosystem for the future of palliative and end-of-life care would help to achieve this.

It will transform care by strengthening the palliative care people receive in hospitals as well helping to care for people closer to home.

The Government is due to publish a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for palliative and end-of-life care in the Autumn, which will set out national standards and goals to enable consistency and improvements across the country.

This MSF could be transformational for people with terminal illness now and for decades to come.

If the new Prime Minister and Health Secretary let this slip, we’re worried that the opportunity to fix palliative care provision will be missed. As a first step, the Government must publish the MSF on time.

Looking forward, the Government must work closely with the palliative care sector to develop new sustainable models of care to reach more people with the right service, in the right place and at the right time.