Warning issued as palliative care in England is ‘failing to meet people’s needs’
Palliative care services in England are “failing to meet people’s needs”, a new parliamentary report has warned.
The findings, requested by MPs on the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee, show these shortfalls are primarily attributed to “inadequate funding” for services providing end-of-life and life-limiting condition care.
The report highlighted that bereavement support for loved ones, although “valuable”, was “often inaccessible”.
He also noted that palliative care patients and their families are “very rarely given the opportunity to plan effectively for the future.”
The document, which shows services are under “significant strain”, warns that health and care services are “inadequate” to meet end-of-life needs, citing “inadequate” education and training.
Meanwhile, the authors told MPs that the specialist palliative care workforce is in a “critical situation”, while children’s palliative care services face “serious workforce shortages”.
They said different local health authorities had “variable” priorities, creating a “postcode lottery in the provision of PEoLC (palliative and end-of-life care services).”
The authors said these local health organizations were “not equipped” to understand the palliative care needs of people in their areas.
The authors added that they face competing financial pressures that lead to underfunding of palliative care.
The report said care provision was good in some parts of the country, but added: “However, it was also clear that the delivery of services was patchy and sometimes failed to meet people’s needs.
“PEoLC services face challenges in all settings and there are gaps between the desire to deliver services and actual service delivery.”
Many people nearing the end of their lives wish to die at home, but this only happens for just over a quarter of them, the authors said.
MPs said they would call care minister Stephen Kinnock in the new year to give evidence on areas of concern.
Commenting on the report, James Sanderson, chief executive of palliative care and bereavement charity Sue Ryder, said: “This report comes on the heels of the Government’s announcement that 250 Neighborhood Health Centers across England will be operating by 2030; it is vital that palliative and end-of-life care providers like Sue Ryder are involved in the planning, setting up and delivery of care in these new settings.
“Charities like us will be able to reach more people who need care and bereavement support if we are made a key partner in Neighborhood Health Centres, rather than a ‘nice to have’ service.
“Our philanthropy already provides 80 percent of our care in the community where most people want to spend their final days.
“By working in partnership with industry, the government can expand this and ensure no one faces death or grief alone.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We thank the committee for this report and we remain committed to transforming palliative and end-of-life care through our 10 Year Health Plan.
“This week we announced how we will be working with the sector on a comprehensive plan to ensure this care is both more accessible and of consistently high quality, and that we will end the postcode lottery so every patient can get the care they need.
“We have secured the largest investment in hospices in a generation (£100 million) to improve hospices facilities and committed £80 million to children and young people’s hospices over three years.”
