Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Marie Curie’s Better End of Life Report of November 2022’s findings, what assessment his Department has made on the availability of (a) pharmacies able to dispense palliative and end of life care medicines throughout the out-of-hours period for people with a terminal illness and (b) district and community nurses able to prescribe palliative medicines during the out-of-hours period.

No specific assessment has been made. Local commissioners are responsible for ensuring access to palliative and end of life care medicines. NHS England has included a new criteria in this year’s Pharmacy Quality Scheme which incentivises pharmacies to maintain stock levels of 16 critical palliative and end of life care medicines.