The Minister commissioned the development of a National Adult Palliative Care Policy to fulfil the Programme for Government 2020 commitments.
Many people still think of palliative care as care provided at the very last stage of life, around the time of death. However, the scope of palliative care has now broadened to providing care at an earlier stage in the disease trajectory. In this model of integrated palliative care provision, palliative care is not dependent on prognosis and can be delivered at the same time as curative treatment.
Supporting the patient, family and carer is at the heart of this policy. Actions with timelines have been identified to deliver each recommendation, so to measure the progress of the policy.
This policy offers an opportunity to develop the governance, coordination, and delivery of palliative care services in line with existing and emerging structures such as the HSE Health Regions as well as programmes such as the Enhanced Community Care (ECC), National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), and National Traveller Health Action Plan (NTHAP).
Department of Health Press Release
Department of Health webpage gov – National Adult Palliative Care Policy (www.gov.ie)
