Overview

This bill mandates that Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England ensure access to palliative care services for all individuals with palliative care needs within their areas. It requires CCGs to develop and publish strategies outlining how they will meet these needs, including access to pain management, psychological support, and information about the patient's condition.

Description

The Access to Palliative Care Bill requires CCGs to guarantee access to appropriate health services for people with palliative care needs. This includes:

• Access to pain and symptom management.
• Psychological support for the patient and their relatives.
• Information about the patient's condition and palliative care options.

Each CCG must create and publish a strategy detailing how they will provide palliative care, including:

• Anticipated palliative care needs of adults and children.
• Methods for meeting these needs.
• Circumstances and methods for providing specialist palliative care.
• Data collection and reporting methods.

The strategy must be published within 9 months of the Act's passage and reviewed at least every 3 years. The bill defines "palliative care," "specialist palliative care services," and "relative" for clarity.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify a direct cost to the government. The financial implications will depend on the existing resources and future resource allocation by individual CCGs to meet the mandated service provision. Increased spending is likely as CCGs adapt to ensure compliance.

Groups Affected

• Individuals needing palliative care: Will benefit from improved access to services.
• Relatives of individuals needing palliative care: Will benefit from improved access to support services.
• Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs): Will be responsible for implementing and funding the required changes.
• Palliative care providers: May experience increased demand for their services.

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