Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the Palliative Care MSF; and what plans he has to consult on his proposals on this.

The Government is developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End of Life Care in England. The MSF is a clinically led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvements in outcomes for patients and carers, including by reducing unwarranted variation and addressing inequalities in access, experience and outcomes. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the last year’s published 10-Year Health Plan.

We intend to publish the full MSF report in autumn 2026, with an interim update planned for publication shortly.

We are committed to continuing to work closely with stakeholders and have already engaged with a range of stakeholders, from around 70 different organisations, to inform the MSF’s development. The call for evidence for the MSF resulted in over 150 responses from stakeholders.

There will be further opportunities for stakeholders to feed in as we work through the next stages of the MSF development, details of which will be communicated via our regional NHS England teams, the NHS Alliance and the Ambitions Partnership.