Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make palliative care training mandatory for health and social care workers.

The training of health care professionals is the responsibility of independent statutory health care regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Health and Care Professions Council. The training curricula for postgraduate specialty training, including for palliative and end of life care, is set by the relevant royal college, and has to meet the standards set by the GMC.

Additionally, to ensure the health and social care workforce is well equipped and supported in delivering personalised care to people at the end of life, Health Education England, now part of NHS England, hosts the End of Life Care for All e-learning training programme, which includes nine modules on improving care for people at the end of life.