Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to invest in integrated models of palliative care.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. We have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.

In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, and sustainable integrated models of palliative and end of life care, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan, were discussed at length.