Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial and other support his Department makes available to recently bereaved carers.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Bereavement care is a key part of the provision of good end of life care. In July 2016, the Government set out its commitment to everyone at the end of life in the Government response to the independent Review of Choice in End of Life Care. ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’ set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality and personalisation a reality for all and to end variation in end of life care across the health system by 2020.
Bereaved families and carers should have access to information and support as set out in the commitment, including bereavement care, appropriate to their circumstances. This information may also be included in their carer’s assessment where there is an appearance of need as stated under the Care Act 2014.
In addition, for those claiming Carer’s Allowance, entitlement can continue for up to eight weeks following the death of the disabled person who was being cared for. This eight-week run-on helps carers who have recently been bereaved by giving them some time to adapt to their new circumstances and make plans for their future.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on palliative care in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has made no specific assessment of local palliative services care in England. As system leader, NHS England is responsible for securing the provision of high quality care for patients at the end of life, and as with the vast majority of NHS services, the commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility.
CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly, and as such, decisions to increase palliative care service provision are for the local, not the national, National Health Service. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated with Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, include Hampshire and Isle of Wight. A copy of the support pack is attached.
Much of the palliative care patients receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision, rather than as an identified palliative care service. In such services, data are either not available or does not identify palliative treatment. In addition, social and voluntary sector organisations can provide additional support to patients and the end of life. Therefore, figures for the average cost and average time for treating a terminally ill person and figures for the number of patients offered end of life care in the home are not available.
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you’ for end of life care, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. A progress report on delivery of the commitment was published on 21 September 2017.
A key tool in measuring choice and quality in end of life care is the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey, which collects the views of bereaved family and friends about the care received by the person they were caring for at the end of life. The survey does provide some information about preferences for care at the end of life, including place of death. The Government Choice Commitment; progress report on the Choice Commitment; and latest VOICES survey report can be found at the following links:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is of treating a terminally ill person.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has made no specific assessment of local palliative services care in England. As system leader, NHS England is responsible for securing the provision of high quality care for patients at the end of life, and as with the vast majority of NHS services, the commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility.
CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly, and as such, decisions to increase palliative care service provision are for the local, not the national, National Health Service. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated with Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, include Hampshire and Isle of Wight. A copy of the support pack is attached.
Much of the palliative care patients receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision, rather than as an identified palliative care service. In such services, data are either not available or does not identify palliative treatment. In addition, social and voluntary sector organisations can provide additional support to patients and the end of life. Therefore, figures for the average cost and average time for treating a terminally ill person and figures for the number of patients offered end of life care in the home are not available.
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you’ for end of life care, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. A progress report on delivery of the commitment was published on 21 September 2017.
A key tool in measuring choice and quality in end of life care is the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey, which collects the views of bereaved family and friends about the care received by the person they were caring for at the end of life. The survey does provide some information about preferences for care at the end of life, including place of death. The Government Choice Commitment; progress report on the Choice Commitment; and latest VOICES survey report can be found at the following links:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average time is for which a terminally ill person receives palliative care.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has made no specific assessment of local palliative services care in England. As system leader, NHS England is responsible for securing the provision of high quality care for patients at the end of life, and as with the vast majority of NHS services, the commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility.
CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly, and as such, decisions to increase palliative care service provision are for the local, not the national, National Health Service. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated with Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, include Hampshire and Isle of Wight. A copy of the support pack is attached.
Much of the palliative care patients receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision, rather than as an identified palliative care service. In such services, data are either not available or does not identify palliative treatment. In addition, social and voluntary sector organisations can provide additional support to patients and the end of life. Therefore, figures for the average cost and average time for treating a terminally ill person and figures for the number of patients offered end of life care in the home are not available.
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you’ for end of life care, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. A progress report on delivery of the commitment was published on 21 September 2017.
A key tool in measuring choice and quality in end of life care is the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey, which collects the views of bereaved family and friends about the care received by the person they were caring for at the end of life. The survey does provide some information about preferences for care at the end of life, including place of death. The Government Choice Commitment; progress report on the Choice Commitment; and latest VOICES survey report can be found at the following links:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many terminally ill people were offered end-of-life care in their own homes in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has made no specific assessment of local palliative services care in England. As system leader, NHS England is responsible for securing the provision of high quality care for patients at the end of life, and as with the vast majority of NHS services, the commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility.
CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly, and as such, decisions to increase palliative care service provision are for the local, not the national, National Health Service. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated with Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, include Hampshire and Isle of Wight. A copy of the support pack is attached.
Much of the palliative care patients receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision, rather than as an identified palliative care service. In such services, data are either not available or does not identify palliative treatment. In addition, social and voluntary sector organisations can provide additional support to patients and the end of life. Therefore, figures for the average cost and average time for treating a terminally ill person and figures for the number of patients offered end of life care in the home are not available.
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you’ for end of life care, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. A progress report on delivery of the commitment was published on 21 September 2017.
A key tool in measuring choice and quality in end of life care is the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey, which collects the views of bereaved family and friends about the care received by the person they were caring for at the end of life. The survey does provide some information about preferences for care at the end of life, including place of death. The Government Choice Commitment; progress report on the Choice Commitment; and latest VOICES survey report can be found at the following links:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the provision of specialist palliative care in (a) Southampton, (b) the South East and (c) England.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has made no specific assessment of local palliative services care in England. As system leader, NHS England is responsible for securing the provision of high quality care for patients at the end of life, and as with the vast majority of NHS services, the commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility.
CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly, and as such, decisions to increase palliative care service provision are for the local, not the national, National Health Service. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated with Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, include Hampshire and Isle of Wight. A copy of the support pack is attached.
Much of the palliative care patients receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision, rather than as an identified palliative care service. In such services, data are either not available or does not identify palliative treatment. In addition, social and voluntary sector organisations can provide additional support to patients and the end of life. Therefore, figures for the average cost and average time for treating a terminally ill person and figures for the number of patients offered end of life care in the home are not available.
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you’ for end of life care, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. A progress report on delivery of the commitment was published on 21 September 2017.
A key tool in measuring choice and quality in end of life care is the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey, which collects the views of bereaved family and friends about the care received by the person they were caring for at the end of life. The survey does provide some information about preferences for care at the end of life, including place of death. The Government Choice Commitment; progress report on the Choice Commitment; and latest VOICES survey report can be found at the following links:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of palliative care available in England; and what change in that level he estimates will occur by 2020.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has made no specific assessment of local palliative services care in England. As system leader, NHS England is responsible for securing the provision of high quality care for patients at the end of life, and as with the vast majority of NHS services, the commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility.
CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly, and as such, decisions to increase palliative care service provision are for the local, not the national, National Health Service. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated with Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, include Hampshire and Isle of Wight. A copy of the support pack is attached.
Much of the palliative care patients receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision, rather than as an identified palliative care service. In such services, data are either not available or does not identify palliative treatment. In addition, social and voluntary sector organisations can provide additional support to patients and the end of life. Therefore, figures for the average cost and average time for treating a terminally ill person and figures for the number of patients offered end of life care in the home are not available.
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you’ for end of life care, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. A progress report on delivery of the commitment was published on 21 September 2017.
A key tool in measuring choice and quality in end of life care is the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey, which collects the views of bereaved family and friends about the care received by the person they were caring for at the end of life. The survey does provide some information about preferences for care at the end of life, including place of death. The Government Choice Commitment; progress report on the Choice Commitment; and latest VOICES survey report can be found at the following links:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to improve palliative care in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This Commitment includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’ is available at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response
Over the last 12 months the National End of Life Care Programme Board has been taking forward implementation. All relevant arm’s length bodies and key charitable partners are represented on the Board to ensure system wide action and accountability. We are aiming to publish a progress report on the delivery of the Commitment this summer.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people had access to advance care planning in advance of their death in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone by 2020. Over the last 12 months the National End of Life Care Programme Board has been taking forward implementation, and we are aiming to publish a progress report on the delivery of the Commitment this summer. This progress report will also set out the work being undertaken by the Programme Board to engage local Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships to support service planning for end of life of care and to embed choice. ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’ can be found at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/536326/choice-response.pdf
Information regarding the proportion of people with access to advance care planning in advance of their death is not collected. However, the Government commitment also set out plans to will work with voluntary sector partners to raise public awareness nationally of issues around death and dying and the importance of enabling individuals to make end of life care plans in advance. NHS England contributed funding to the Dying Matters campaign in 2016/17 and also promoted Dying Matters Week via the National End of Life Care Programme Board and through the National Palliative and End of Life Care Network.
We know there are inequities in terms of access to, and experience of, end of life care for lower socio-economic groups. Public Health England’s National End of Life Care Intelligence Network has published ‘What we know data’ reports that have linked lower socioeconomic status to lower rates of home death. That is why the ‘Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care, a national framework for local action’, includes ‘fair access to care’ as one of the six Ambitions. The framework was developed and signed up to by over 27 partners from across the system and the Government is supportive of its work. The Public Health England reports and information about the Ambitions Framework and the partnership can be found at the following links:
www.endoflifecare-intelligence.org.uk/resources/publications/
http://endoflifecareambitions.org.uk/
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether people from lower socio-economic groups are less likely to receive the end of life care which they choose.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone by 2020. Over the last 12 months the National End of Life Care Programme Board has been taking forward implementation, and we are aiming to publish a progress report on the delivery of the Commitment this summer. This progress report will also set out the work being undertaken by the Programme Board to engage local Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships to support service planning for end of life of care and to embed choice. ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’ can be found at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/536326/choice-response.pdf
Information regarding the proportion of people with access to advance care planning in advance of their death is not collected. However, the Government commitment also set out plans to will work with voluntary sector partners to raise public awareness nationally of issues around death and dying and the importance of enabling individuals to make end of life care plans in advance. NHS England contributed funding to the Dying Matters campaign in 2016/17 and also promoted Dying Matters Week via the National End of Life Care Programme Board and through the National Palliative and End of Life Care Network.
We know there are inequities in terms of access to, and experience of, end of life care for lower socio-economic groups. Public Health England’s National End of Life Care Intelligence Network has published ‘What we know data’ reports that have linked lower socioeconomic status to lower rates of home death. That is why the ‘Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care, a national framework for local action’, includes ‘fair access to care’ as one of the six Ambitions. The framework was developed and signed up to by over 27 partners from across the system and the Government is supportive of its work. The Public Health England reports and information about the Ambitions Framework and the partnership can be found at the following links:
www.endoflifecare-intelligence.org.uk/resources/publications/
http://endoflifecareambitions.org.uk/