Inequalities in end-of-life care still exist

Abstract

I live in a society where I get good end-of-life care regardless of who I am, where I live or the circumstances of my life The above statement has been written from the perspective of someone nearing the end of life. It represents one of six positive ambitions for palliative and end-of-life care included in a framework for local action designed to drive better care in England (National Palliative and End of life Care Partnership, 2015). The expectation that anyone who is dying will get fair access to care is not an extraordinary one, nor indeed is it new. Yet, even in 2016, we are faced by a number of key reports that confirm that fair access to care is not the case in reality. The Care Quality Commission has recently undertaken a review looking closely at how dying people …