Commissioning children’s palliative care in England: 2017 edition | Together for Short Lives
This report summarises responses to a Freedom of Information request sent to every CCG and upper-tier local authority in England, asking how they plan care and support for children who need palliative care and their families, and which services they commission for them.
The report found that:
- Children’s palliative care commissioning in England is patchy and inconsistent
- The government’s end of life care choice commitment is not being fulfilled in almost half of local areas in England
- Most CCGs have not implemented the new clinical guidance for children who need palliative care
- Even though many seriously ill children need care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, commissioners are failing to plan and fund this support
- Many local authorities are failing to commission short breaks for children who need palliative care, despite being legally obliged to do so
- There is a postcode lottery of bereavement care across England for parents whose child has died
- CCGs and local authorities are failing to fund voluntary sector children’s palliative care organisations – including children’s hospices
- Too many areas still do not commission age and developmentally appropriate services for young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions
- Despite significant challenges across England, there are still some examples of commissioners reporting a broad range of children’s palliative care commissioning.
The report proposes a number of recommendations in response to these findings.