Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
6th Report - Palliative Care
Health and Social Care Committee
HC 1763
Published 24 March 2026
Government response
1st Special Report - Palliative Care: Government Response · published 19 Jun 2026
Recommendations & Conclusions
16
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
We recommend that end of life care be included as a core skill for the...
Recommendation
We recommend that end of life care be included as a core skill for the generalist health and social care workforce, with a clear and defined set of competencies required to deliver high-quality and person-centred palliative and end of life …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, committing to integrating palliative care into generalist practice and education, as reflected in the 10 Year Workforce Plan and an NHS England education framework. A career pathway and core capabilities framework for specialist palliative care are available, with funding and places for QiSS modules planned for March 2027/28.
Department of Health and Social Care
View Details →
17
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Current shortages in the specialist workforce are putting palliative care services in an unsustainable position...
Recommendation
Current shortages in the specialist workforce are putting palliative care services in an unsustainable position which threatens their ability to deliver equitable and high-quality palliative and end of life care. Extensive consultant vacancies, impending retirements, limited training places and widespread …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, focusing on training for the generalist workforce and developing a Qualification in Specialism Standard (QiSS) for palliative care. They plan to have funding and places for QiSS modules ready by March 2027/28, and a career pathway framework is already available.
Department of Health and Social Care
View Details →
18
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
The Government need to publish an evidence-based plan, supported by up-to-date workforce modelling, setting out...
Recommendation
The Government need to publish an evidence-based plan, supported by up-to-date workforce modelling, setting out how it will increase the capacity and sustainability of all sectors of the specialist palliative and end of life care workforce, as part of the …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation, highlighting the 10 Year Long Term Workforce Plan's focus on integrating palliative care into generalist education. It mentions an existing career pathway framework for specialist palliative care and plans for funding and places for the Qualification in Specialism Standard modules by March 2027/28, but does not detail a specific plan for increasing specialist workforce capacity or setting staffing targets.
Department of Health and Social Care
View Details →