How dying patients in palliative care face ‘postcode lottery’ in their final days
Dying individuals across the UK are facing a "postcode lottery" in their final moments, according to a new report from MPs.
The Health and Social Care Committee has declared palliative and end-of-life care services "inadequate", highlighting the "significant pressure" under which providers are currently operating.
“It feels unthinkable that specialist care services for those who are close to passing away are somehow undervalued in the NHS.
“And yet that is the heartbreaking reality that too many frightened patients and their families, including of young children, have to encounter during some of their most trying moments, when help is most needed,” said committee chairwoman Layla Moran.
“These services are under significant pressure, with providers struggling to fund and commission the right care, and individuals entering a ‘postcode lottery’ of care in their most vulnerable moments at the end of life, the authors wrote.
“These issues are further compounded by a workforce declining in numbers, a lack of access to and use of effective data, a poorly equipped social care system, and an unsustainable funding model.”
The group has called for specific standards for how children’s palliative care should be provided; the need for 24/7 services throughout the country and a plan to strengthen the specialist workforce in the sector.
Source: The Independent, 24 March 2026