Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of hospice and end of life care.

NHS England published its Actions for End of Life Care 2014-16 in October 2014 which sets out plans to improve the commissioning and provision of end of life care services nationally, including services commissioned from hospices. This work includes:

- actions to help individuals to be empowered, informed and engaged in decisions about their care;

- actions to support health and care professionals in providing end of life care, including fostering closer partnership working; and

- actions to support local commissioners to commission high quality, personalised end of life care services.

It is for local commissioners to ensure the right services, including end of life care services, are commissioned to meet the needs of their local populations.