Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with integrated care boards on estimates they have made of how many children are accessing palliative care in their areas.

While there is no explicit requirement for integrated care boards (ICBs) to identify how many children and young people specifically access palliative and end of life care services, the commissioning of palliative care services is the statutory duty of ICBs, which must commission these services in response to the needs of their population.

In July 2022, NHS England published statutory guidance for commissioners on palliative and end of life care, setting out the considerations for ICBs to meet their legal duties, and making clear reference to the importance of access to services.

NHS England has also published a service specification for children and young people, which provides guidance on undertaking assessments to enable high-quality commissioning of services, that meet both population need and preferences.

The Department is in ongoing discussions with NHS England about oversight and accountability of National Health Service palliative and end of life care commissioning, including for children and young people.

From April, NHS England will include palliative and end of life care in the list of topics for its regular performance discussions between national and regional leads. These national meetings will provide an additional mechanism for supporting ICBs to continue to improve palliative and end of life care for their local population.