Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to provide palliative care interventions that help ensure people die in a (a) comfortable and (b) dignified manner.

As part of the Health and Care Act 2022, palliative care services were added to the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. NHS England published statutory guidance and service specifications for ICBs on palliative and end of life care, to support commissioners to meet their legal duties.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence sets out guidance for care of dying adults in the last days of life which includes recommendations to help healthcare professionals to recognise when a person is entering the last days of life; to communicate and share decisions respectfully with the individuals and those close to them; and to maintain the person's comfort and dignity.