MPs to begin ‘broad’ inquiry into palliative and end of life care

In June the Department of Health announced a new approach to end of life care in England, focusing on achieving five Priorities of Care that should be applied in all care settings.

While noting the new guidance, the committee said it had decided to take a “broader look” at the issue of palliative and end of life care. 

The inquiry will examine palliative and end of life care for adults, including the frail elderly, and children and young people.

The committee said it would examine the way that health and social care services, and the voluntary and community sector, supported people likely to die within 12 months, what opportunities existed for better integration and for improving care, and the experience of those caring for people at the end of life. 

This will include investigating what changes may be needed in staff numbers and training to enable generalist healthcare staff to improve their skills and confidence in supporting people at the end of life.

The committee, which is chaired by Tory MP for Totnes and former GP Dr Sarah Wollaston, added that it would also review the definitions of, and distinctions between, “palliative” and “end of life” care in order to examine how to provide more effective targeting of resources and management of interventions.

Issues it plans to cover include:

• The extent to which palliative and end of life care services are provided by acute, social care, community and voluntary services or charities, how this balance has changed over time, and the quality and experience of end of life care in different settings
• The impact on delivery of end of life care in hospital following the withdrawal of the Liverpool Care Pathway
• The reasons why so many people die in hospital when the majority of people say that that they wish to be cared for and die at home or in a hospice
• The impact of geography and demographic characteristics on access to, and quality of, 24/7 specialist palliative and end of life care
• The competence and capacity of the workforce. What changes may be needed in staff numbers, skills and training to enable generalist health and social care staff to improve their skills and confidence in supporting people at the end of life?
• Funding mechanisms for palliative and end of life care. 
• Whether the right services are being commissioned to provide quality end of life care in acute and community settings, so that people are getting the right care, in the right place at the right time
• How easily can patients withdraw from active treatment if that is their preference
• The experience of and support for those who are caring for people at the end of life, including the availability and quality of bereavement services
• What research is currently being carried out into palliative and end of life care?

Written evidence must be submitted to the committee via its website by noon on 15 December.