Government to ‘strengthen’ out-of-hours support for palliative care services

The government has said it will “strengthen” out-of-hours community support for palliative care services.

In its response to an evaluation of palliative care services in England by members of the Health and Social Care Committee, published on 19 February 2026, the government said it accepted the conclusion the panel had drawn on shifting palliative care to the community.

The “huge shift” to community-based palliative care planned by the government is not currently supported by funding models and priorities, the evaluation found.

“Undertaking this shift will take a lot of time, resource, capacity and capability — for example, to address issues surrounding ‘insufficient’ 24/7 access to symptomatic medication in the community and at home, and in some regions, no 24/7 pharmacies,” it said.

In its response to the evaluation, the government also said it accepted the panel’s wider conclusions.

“Integrated palliative care and end-of-life care services are central to the shift towards community-based care. They enable care to be delivered closer to homes,” the response said.

It continued that the government’s forthcoming ‘Palliative care and end-of-life care modern service framework’ (MSF) will address the drivers and incentives required to shift palliative and end-of-life care from hospital to the community.

“We will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of our MSF,” the government added.

It added that it is working with NHS England and professional bodies to deliver more care outside of hospitals.

“This includes developing principles to help organisations identify, record and address care and population need,” it said.

“We are also supporting systems to expand multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams, recognising that contemporary care is delivered by a blend of registered nurses, specialist district nurses, healthcare support workers, allied health professionals and advanced practitioners.”

In addition, the evaluation identified “insufficient” 24/7 access to palliative care medicines and pharmacies. 

The government said it recognised the “significant pressures” palliative care services are facing in all settings, adding that the MSF will “put in place a clear and effective mechanism to deliver a fundamental improvement to the care provide”.

“Examples include earlier identification of need, care delivered closer to home by integrated generalist and specialist teams and strengthened out-of-hours community health support, including dedicated 24/7 telephone advice,” it added.

Amandeep Doll, director for England at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, commented: “People nearing the end of life deserve timely access to medicines and coordinated support in the place of their choosing.

“The forthcoming MSF must include pharmacy and ensure that every patient receives the care and comfort they need at the end of life.”

She added: “Embedding pharmacists in multidisciplinary teams and ensuring access to shared patients records are critical to delivering safe, coordinated care at home.

“Our work on the Daffodil quality improvement standards strives to support the profession to offer the best end of life and bereavement care.”

In January 2026, pharmacists told The Pharmaceutical Journal that funding is needed in community pharmacies to address patchy access of palliative care drugs for patients.