17 Accepted

Existing data underscores the urgent need to improve support for terminally ill individuals.

Conclusion
We are pleased that the ONS in now attempting to monitor the rates of suicide for people with a terminal diagnosis, as this will facilitate scrutiny in the future. The existing data already serves as a sobering reminder that the support and care around people who are managing a terminal diagnosis must be improved.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the report's focus on palliative and end-of-life care, stating it has already introduced significant improvements and that the UK is an international leader in this area, while recognizing more work is still needed.
Paragraph Reference
305
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government Accepted
Therefore, much of the report focussed, quite rightly, on palliative and end-of-life care provision and with that in mind this response will primarily focus on that too. The Department has already introduced a number of significant changes to improve the provision of palliative and end-of-life care in England in recent years, which we have highlighted in response to the individual recommendations. Additionally, the UK has been considered an international leader in palliative and end-of-life care for a number of years and, in a recent Cross-Country Comparison of Expert Assessments of the Quality of Death and Dying, the UK was ranked no. 1 of 81 countries for high- quality end-of-life care. However, with an increasing ageing population and a growing number of people living and dying with multiple long-term conditions, there is more work to be done.
Addressee Bodies
Department of Health and Social Care
Timeline
Recommendation age 2.4 yrs
Report published 29 Feb 2024