Marie Curie responds to government's Palliative and End of Life Care Modern Services Framework

Marie Curie responds to the government's commitment to a Palliative and End of Life Care Modern Services Framework for England. 

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of Marie Curie, said:
"This is a vital and long-overdue step and Marie Curie welcomes the UK Government's commitment to produce a Palliative and End of Life Care Modern Services Framework for England. Promises now need to become action. We stand ready to work with the government and the NHS to turn today's commitments into real change. Too many people are dying in pain, frightened and without support, and too many families are left to cope alone in their darkest hours, with nowhere to turn. This must change.

"Marie Curie has long called for 24/7 access to palliative care in every community, personalised support from skilled professionals, and a system that joins up care, so no one has to repeat their story or falls through the cracks. We are already driving this shift by embedding our nurses in primary care networks, and supporting A&E teams to identify people at the end of life, helping them return to their preferred place of care. But much, much more needs to be done across the whole health and social care system to ensure that everyone can die with dignity."


Notes to editors:
Since 2023, Marie Curie has led a national campaign calling for a national plan for palliative and end-of-life care.
It secured parliamentary scrutiny when its briefing was used in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill committee last week, when Minister Stephen Kinnock was questioned about funding for, and variation in access to, palliative care. See our open letter.