Overview

This bill aims to improve access to palliative care for adults and children in England and Wales. It mandates that the NHS ensures access to specialist and generalist palliative care services, and establishes a process for resolving disagreements between parents and doctors regarding the treatment of children with life-limiting illnesses.

Description

The bill focuses on two key areas:

Palliative Care Access

The bill requires NHS commissioners to guarantee access to specialist and generalist palliative care services for all individuals under their care. This includes access in hospitals, the community, and places of usual residence (including care homes and prisons). The bill also mandates that hospices commissioned from the voluntary sector must provide pharmaceutical services through NHS pharmacies. Commissioners must include palliative care provisions in their strategic plans.

Treatment of Children with Life-Limiting Illnesses

The bill addresses situations where parents and doctors disagree on a child's palliative care or the balance between palliative care and disease-modifying treatments. It requires hospital boards to consider parental views, provide access to relevant medical data, refer the disagreement to an ethics committee, and mediate the dispute. Crucially, the bill prevents courts from obstructing a parent's pursuit of disease-modifying treatments unless the proposed treatment poses a disproportionate risk to the child or involves an irresponsible medical institution. The bill also protects parents from being held liable for legal costs in such disputes.

Government Spending

The bill does not specify exact figures for increased government spending. However, it is likely to lead to increased costs associated with ensuring wider access to palliative care services, mediation processes for disputes, and potentially increased access to specialist medical opinions.

Groups Affected

• Adults with life-limiting illnesses: Improved access to palliative care services.
• Children with life-limiting illnesses: Enhanced access to palliative care and clearer procedures for resolving disagreements between parents and doctors regarding their treatment.
• Parents of children with life-limiting illnesses: Greater involvement in decisions regarding their child's care and protection against financial burden in legal disputes.
• NHS Commissioners: Increased responsibilities for providing and planning palliative care services.
• Hospice providers: Requirement for NHS pharmacy provision where services are commissioned.
• Clinicians: Need to follow new procedures for managing disagreements and potentially increased workload.

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