Recommendation 19

Professor Murtagh told us that for a long time it has been known that around one in four adults who need palliative care do not get it, and that recent research suggests that the proportion may now be even higher.36 She went on to describe how a third of people receiving acute care in hospital are in the last year of life, accounting for about 10 million bed days each year. Many patients are not benefitting from acute care and might rather receive palliative care.37 The Department and NHS England recognised that some people are receiving care in more expensive settings than they need to be, particularly in acute hospitals.38