The Health Select Committee has launched its latest inquiry into End of Life Care.
In June 2014 the Department of Health announced a new approach for those caring for dying people in England during the last days of their life.
The approach focuses on achieving five Priorities of Care that should be applied whenever and wherever someone is dying, whether in hospital, a hospice, their own home or another location.
The Health Committee has decided to take a broader look at the issue of Palliative and End of Life Care.
It will examine the way that health and social care services, and the voluntary and community sector, support people who are likely to die within 12 months, what opportunities exist for better integration and for improving care quality, and the experience of those caring for people at the end of life.
The Committee will also review the definitions of, and distinctions between, ‘palliative' and ‘end of life' care to examine how to provide more effective targeting of resources and management of interventions necessary to bring about service change.
The inquiry will examine palliative and end of life care for adults, including the frail elderly, and children and young people.
The Committee will consider:
• Funding mechanisms for palliative and end of life care. What opportunities exist for better integration of health and social care at the end of life?
• 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?
• 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 (including the role of advance care planning and Lasting Power of Attorney)
• 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 via the web portal and the deadline for submitting written evidence is noon on Monday 15 December 2014.
