Palliative Care

Health and Social Care Committee Open Non-inquiry session
Opened: 5 Mar 2025 Parliament page
The Health and Social Care Committee has established and commissioned a politically impartial panel of experts to conduct an evaluation – independently of the Committee – of palliative care in England . The Expert Panel will produce a report after each evaluation which will be sent to the Committee to … Read more
9 Recommendations
13 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
24 Mar
2026
Report published
4 Feb
2026
Correspondence
7 Jan
2026
Oral evidence
7 Jan
2026
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
14 Jan
2025
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
7 Jan 2026
View on parliament.uk
Oral Evidence
Dr Amanda Doyle OBE · NHS England Dr Edward Scully · Department of Health and Social Care Dr Sarah Mitchell · NHS England Stephen Kinnock MP · Department of Health and Social Care
Title HC No. Published Items Response
6th Report - Palliative Care HC 1763 24 Mar 2026 22 Overdue
Recommendations & Conclusions
22 results
1 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
We were highly concerned by the findings of the Expert Panel’s report, which revealed a...
We were highly concerned by the findings of the Expert Panel’s report, which revealed a sector in need of urgent support across all settings, underserving individuals from already vulnerable patient groups. The end of life system is fragmented, difficult to … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
2 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
We welcome the Government’s plans to introduce a Modern Service Framework to set national standards...
We welcome the Government’s plans to introduce a Modern Service Framework to set national standards for palliative and end of life care services, and the Department’s commitment to co-produce this work alongside key stakeholders. However, we approach this with a … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
3 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
We are unclear about what is fundamentally different about this framework compared to existing documents,...
We are unclear about what is fundamentally different about this framework compared to existing documents, such as the Ambitions Framework and the NHS National Standards for Palliative and End of Life Care. In particular, what different approach it will take … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
4 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
If the Modern Service Framework is to deliver meaningful change it must be more than...
If the Modern Service Framework is to deliver meaningful change it must be more than a well-intentioned ambition. ICBs and the Department need to be held accountable for meeting the Framework, with clear consequences if its standards are not met. … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
5 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
We are concerned that the Minister was unable to commit to providing clear and specific...
We are concerned that the Minister was unable to commit to providing clear and specific standards and guidance for babies, children and young people’s palliative and end of life care in the Modern Service Framework (MSF). We strongly recommend that … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
6 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
It is unacceptable that access to 24/7 palliative and end of life care services remains...
It is unacceptable that access to 24/7 palliative and end of life care services remains patchy throughout England. Individuals nearing the end of life should be able to access the right care, advice and medication, wherever they are and regardless … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
7 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
We recommend that the MSF includes specific guidelines and requirements for ICBs to enable access...
We recommend that the MSF includes specific guidelines and requirements for ICBs to enable access to 24/7 PEoLC services, including access to symptomatic medication, and in-person care where necessary. We call on the Government to provide an assessment of both … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
8 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
The role of social care in the provision of palliative and end of life care...
The role of social care in the provision of palliative and end of life care has been overlooked for far too long, and we are concerned that the Government’s plans to remove local authorities from ICBs will only make the … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
9 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
We support increasing use of the Palliative Care Register for early identification of individuals, including...
We support increasing use of the Palliative Care Register for early identification of individuals, including children and young people with PEoLC needs. However, we are concerned that its use is likely to decrease given the removal of funding incentives for … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
10 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
We recommend that the Department implement the 90% target for the percentage of individuals in...
We recommend that the Department implement the 90% target for the percentage of individuals in the last year of life documented on the Palliative Care Register and that it reports annually on progress against this target to monitor the impact … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
11 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
National palliative and end of life care data provide valuable insight into patterns of healthcare...
National palliative and end of life care data provide valuable insight into patterns of healthcare use and location of death, however the evidence presented demonstrates substantial gaps in local data collection and utilisation. Without consistent, granular and timely data, ICBs … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
12 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
We urge the department to mandate ICBs to maintain a fully populated palliative and end...
We urge the department to mandate ICBs to maintain a fully populated palliative and end of life care dashboard that is actively used for commissioning, service planning, quality improvement, and inequality monitoring across their local system. (Recommendation, Paragraph 52) Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
13 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
Poor data sharing and lack of integration across NHS, social care, voluntary and private providers...
Poor data sharing and lack of integration across NHS, social care, voluntary and private providers creates confusion, delays and gaps in continuity for people at the end of life, frequently placing the burden of coordination care on patients and carers … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
14 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
If the Government intends for the introduction of the Single Patient Record to address concerns...
If the Government intends for the introduction of the Single Patient Record to address concerns about a lack of service integration for palliative and end of life care, then this record must be available to all providers—including social care, the … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
15 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
Generalist staff, who provide most end of life care, often lack the skills, confidence and...
Generalist staff, who provide most end of life care, often lack the skills, confidence and specialist support required to deliver high-quality, person-centred care. Despite existing initiatives, a clearer, system-wide approach to upskilling the generalist workforce is urgently needed. (Conclusion, Paragraph … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
16 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
We recommend that end of life care be included as a core skill for the...
We recommend that end of life care be included as a core skill for the generalist health and social care workforce, with a clear and defined set of competencies required to deliver high-quality and person-centred palliative and end of life … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
17 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
Current shortages in the specialist workforce are putting palliative care services in an unsustainable position...
Current shortages in the specialist workforce are putting palliative care services in an unsustainable position which threatens their ability to deliver equitable and high-quality palliative and end of life care. Extensive consultant vacancies, impending retirements, limited training places and widespread … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
18 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
The Government need to publish an evidence-based plan, supported by up-to-date workforce modelling, setting out...
The Government need to publish an evidence-based plan, supported by up-to-date workforce modelling, setting out how it will increase the capacity and sustainability of all sectors of the specialist palliative and end of life care workforce, as part of the … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
19 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
Bereavement, and pre-bereavement support are essential, yet access remains patchy, poorly commissioned, and often difficult...
Bereavement, and pre-bereavement support are essential, yet access remains patchy, poorly commissioned, and often difficult to navigate. Despite its inclusion in the current Ambition Framework, significant gaps persist, particularly for culturally diverse communities and children and young people. (Conclusion, Paragraph … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
20 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
The Government must hold ICBs to account for delivering bereavement services.
The Government must hold ICBs to account for delivering bereavement services. This does not need to wait for the forthcoming Modern Service Framework as there are already clearly defined expectations for what ICBs should deliver in this area. In its … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
21 Conclusion
6th Report - Palliative Care
Hospices form an integral part of palliative and end of life care provision at home...
Hospices form an integral part of palliative and end of life care provision at home and in the community and we welcome the fact that the Government intends for them to play a bigger role as part of its shift … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
22 Recommendation
6th Report - Palliative Care
We recommend that the Government moves towards sustainable and predictable models of funding for hospices,...
We recommend that the Government moves towards sustainable and predictable models of funding for hospices, financing their running as well as investment costs, which reflects the increasingly central role they will play in delivering end of life care. This funding … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
Correspondence 2 letters
4 Feb 2026 Correspondence from Minister Kinnock - Follow up on 7 January session
Parliament page
14 Jan 2025 Correspondence from the Chair to the SoS relating to palliative care
Parliament page