Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent, and (2) the quality, of specialist palliative care commissioning of (a) in-patient beds, (b) community support teams, (c) hospital support teams, and (d) 24/7 advice.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (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.

As set out in that guidance, this could be through universal services, for example general practitioners and community nursing services, or via specialist services where appropriate. However, not all patients will require specialist palliative or end of life care.

This guidance also 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.

NHS England has developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population.

Additionally, NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB in respect of each financial year and to publish a summary of its findings. This assessment must assess how well the ICB has discharged its functions.