Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Acknowledged
Bereavement, and pre-bereavement support are essential, yet access remains patchy, poorly commissioned, and often difficult...
Conclusion
Bereavement, and pre-bereavement support are essential, yet access remains patchy, poorly commissioned, and often difficult to navigate. Despite its inclusion in the current Ambition Framework, significant gaps persist, particularly for culturally diverse communities and children and young people. (Conclusion, Paragraph 75) 38
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees in principle on the importance of bereavement support, noting existing ICB responsibilities, frameworks, and statutory guidance. While the MSF will reinforce the need, there are no plans for new monitoring outside of current ICB oversight arrangements.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
Accept The Government recognises the significance of bereavement support for families and friends following the loss of a loved one and agrees in principle with the recommendation, recognising the importance of robust bereavement services. Oversight mechanisms are already in place to ensure ICBs are held to account for their delivery of these vital services. Bereavement services are commissioned locally, in accordance with the needs of the local population. ICBs are responsible for ensuring sufficient, high-quality, and accessible bereavement support for their local population. This obligation is underpinned by the “Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care” framework and reinforced by NHS England’s statutory guidance, which sets out clear expectations for ICBs to commission palliative care services, including adequate provision for bereavement support. The Minister of State for Care has further outlined the Government’s expectation that the requirements detailed in the NHS’s statutory guidance should be incorporated into local strategies, reinforcing the obligation for ICBs to prioritise bereavement care. NHS England has statutory responsibilities to oversee providers and ICBs and can take action where there is an actual or perceived breach of duties. Oversight for ICBs is primarily delivered through regional teams under the NHS Oversight Framework, which considers: • Performance against agreed oversight metrics • Judgements of organisational capability. • Other relevant intelligence (e.g. Care Quality Commission reports, partner escalations, and complaints). NHS England’s oversight relationship with each ICB, including in regard to the application of intervention activity, is based on the breadth and depth of challenge that exists and is routinely reviewed to ensure it remains appropriate. Where there are concerns regarding the quality of care this can be proactively escalated and addressed in line with the existing published National Quality Board guidance on quality risk response and escalation.
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