Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of 24/7 palliative care in Oxfordshire: and what steps he is taking to extend provision of this service.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government will shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire ICB, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/palliative-and-end-of-life-care-statutory-guidance-for-integrated-care-boards-icbs/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/service-specifications-for-palliative-and-end-of-life-care-adults/

The statutory guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever time of day.

Earlier this year, I met with key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan.