Seriously ill children are being denied the chance to die at home because the NHS in many parts of England is flouting its legal duty to provide the care needed to make that happen, critics say.
The widespread failure to provide at-home end-of-life care is forcing children who want to die at home to instead do so in hospital. Campaigners have described it as “cruel”.
The postcode lottery in palliative care means some of the almost 89,000 under-19s in England who have a life-limiting condition may not get their wish to die at home. Medical advances mean their numbers have almost trebled since 2003-04, and the complexities of their illnesses have increased. About 1,600 die each year.
Nick Carroll, the chief executive of the charity Together for Short Lives, said: “It is shocking that children with serious illnesses are waiting to leave hospital because the health and care system is not taking responsibility for their community care. To deny families the chance to spend precious moments together at home before their child dies is simply cruel.”
Source: The Guardian, 2 September 2026
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