PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Palliative Care: Children and Young People (4 March 2024)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a long-term strategy for supporting the palliative care needs of children and young people.

Asked by:
Karin Smyth (Labour)

While the National Health Service has always been required to commission appropriate palliative and end of life care services to meet the reasonable needs of the population, palliative care services were added to the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission, promoting a more consistent national approach and supporting commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this statutory duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance on palliative and end of life care, and a service specification for children and young people.

Answered by:
Helen Whately (Conservative)
7 March 2024