Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the findings of Marie Curie’s Better End of Life report, published in November 2022; and what plans he has to improve access to out-of-hours care for people with a terminal illness and their carers who are struggling to access essential care at home.

Local commissioners are responsible for ensuring access to palliative and end of life care. NHS England has published statutory guidance to support commissioners with implementation of the Health and Care Act 2022, including how services should meet population needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.