Morning, Wednesday, 2nd September 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for strengthening palliative and end of life care across England.
Following the National Audit Office report on The financial sustainability of England’s adult hospice sector, it will be an opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders to assess what is needed to secure consistent commissioning and sustainable provision across integrated care boards, including options for standardising funding frameworks, developing a better understanding of services required, supporting shifts toward community-based care, and reducing avoidable hospital use.
Planned discussion will also focus on strategic priorities for aligning future service development with the 10 Year Health Plan, including considerations for the development and implementation of a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework and the role of system partners in embedding palliative provision within recovery, neighbourhood health, and long-term NHS planning.
Implications for long-term service planning will be considered in the context of parliamentary scrutiny of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Lords, particularly in relation to unmet need, safeguards, and system readiness.
Delegates will also examine questions around equity and access, including priorities for improving data collection and interoperability to support population-level planning, and the use of system dashboards to identify disparities affecting underserved and marginalised groups. Attendees will assess workforce and skills priorities required to enable a shift towards proactive community care, including strengthening district nursing capacity, expanding end of life training across health and social care, and embedding hospice professionals within multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams.
Further discussion will focus on advancing person-centred models of care, with emphasis on anticipatory planning, shared decision-making, and enhanced support for unpaid carers and families, including access to bereavement services and round-the-clock advice lines. Ways forward for developing and rolling out innovative models of care will also be considered, including how emerging technologies and data-driven tools could support earlier identification of need, as well as the role of virtual wards and other service models in improving coordination and reducing hospital admissions.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- palliative care strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan:
- examining priorities for the Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework
- options for standardising commissioning and funding frameworks across ICBs - opportunities for shift of care into the community to reduce avoidable hospital use
- embedding palliative care within NHS planning, recovery and neighbourhood health priorities
- key considerations for addressing unmet need in the context of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill currently progressing through Parliament
- funding:
- considerations for developing sustainable funding models in light of capacity constraints and rising demand
- NAO recommendations to standardise funding - next steps for supporting ICBs to better understand what services are required - how existing funding can be effectively used
- equity and access:
- overcoming data collection barriers - aligning services with population need - role of the ICB dashboard in tracking and tackling inequalities
- ways forward for tackling regional disparities and addressing unmet needs of marginalised communities
- workforce, education and skills:
- priorities for enabling the shift toward community care - tackling training gaps in social care, skilled district and community nursing - what is needed from the upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan
- embedding hospice care professionals into neighbourhood teams - increasing end of life care training for health and care professionals
- shifting toward planned and person-centred care:
- delivering proactive care plans - improving anticipatory care and shared decision-making
- strengthening support for unpaid carers and families - effective practice in providing continuous support, such as 24/7 phone lines - increasing access to bereavement support
- innovation in care:
- opportunities for AI and emerging tech to better identify those in need of palliative interventions - role of innovative models of care such as virtual wards in reducing hospital admissions
