Thank you for contacting me about palliative and end of life care for people with terminal illnesses. I agree that we must ensure that people receive the most appropriate care personalised to their individual needs as they approach the end of their life.
The NHS Long Term Plan, prepared by the NHS and published in 2019, builds on previous commitments made by the Government to personalise care through informed conversations between healthcare professionals and dying people. Part of this is a commitment to help people to live independently for longer, as well as a promise to give more people more say about the care they receive and where they receive it, particularly towards the end of their lives. I believe empowering people with terminal conditions in this way will better enable them to access palliative care when and where they most need it.
The creation of the Personalised Care Institute has made training available to help staff identify and support patients and to introduce personalised care planning for everyone identified as being in their last year of life. Importantly, this enables meaningful conversations to take place and allows staff to help patients and families, address their concerns and to explain the breadth of services available in the local area.
On the funding of hospices, NHS England and NHS Improvement have recently provided funding to support seven strategic clinical networks to deliver palliative and end of life care. The Health and Care Act requires Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to commission palliative care and end of life services. NHS England has actively increased its support to local commissioners to improve the accessibility, quality and sustainability of palliative and end of life care for all. In addition, NHS England has funded the establishment of a Palliative and End of Life Care Strategic Clinical Network in every NHS England region, which works closely with local commissioners regarding the development of accessible, high quality and sustainable services.
I note the concerns raised by Marie Curie about the cost-of-living challenges facing those with terminal illnesses. The Government wants to do all it can to alleviate the pressures on those nearing the end of their lives, and on their families. The main way that the Government does this is through special benefit rules, sometimes referred to as “the Special Rules”. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.
14/03/2024