Overview

The Access to Palliative Care Bill aims to ensure equitable access to high-quality palliative care services across England. It mandates improved access to pain management, supports patient preferences, and enhances training and research in the field.

Description

This bill places a duty on Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to provide and arrange for specialist palliative care services. This includes:

• Access to Care: Ensuring access to pain and symptom control, support for individual care preferences, information about a patient's condition, and assistance with advance care planning.
• Service Provision: Mandating arrangements for specialist palliative care services available across various settings (homes, hospitals, hospices, care homes), including direct hospice admissions and 24/7 access to telephone advice and medication.
• Integrated Care: Requiring CCGs to cooperate with other providers for integrated service delivery.
• Education and Training: Requiring Health Education England to mandate training for healthcare professionals on pain management, communication skills, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and supporting families and carers.
• Research: Ensuring specialist palliative care teams can participate in research to advance innovations in palliative care.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC) Oversight: Mandating the CQC to evaluate palliative care provision during service inspections.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify exact figures for increased government spending. However, it will likely lead to increased costs associated with expanding access to palliative care services, training programs, and research initiatives.

Groups Affected

• Patients with life-limiting illnesses: Will benefit from improved access to palliative care, better pain management, and support for their preferences.
• Families and carers: Will receive more support and involvement in decision-making processes.
• Healthcare professionals: Will undergo mandatory training and potentially face increased workloads.
• Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs): Will have increased responsibilities and potential increased financial burdens.
• Hospices and palliative care providers: May experience increased demand for their services.
• Health Education England: Will be responsible for implementing the mandatory training program.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC): Will need to adapt their inspection processes to evaluate palliative care provision.

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