Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report by Marie Curie Better End of Life 2022, published in November, which found that “out-of-hours palliative care is currently inadequate and fragmented”, what plans they have to improve out-of-hours palliative care.

NHS England has published Palliative and End of Life Care: Statutory Guidance for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to support commissioners with the implementation of the Health and Care Act 2022. The guidance advises commissioners on defining services to meet population needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week and ensuring that staff, patients and carers can access care and advice. A copy of the statutory guidance is attached. Between December 2021 and March 2022, NHS England allocated more than £4 million for local specialist palliative care advice services, including out-of-hours provision.