End-of-life social care should be free to all, MPs say

Free social care should be provided at the end of life so that more people can die at home or in a hospice rather than in hospital, a review into palliative care by MPs has said.

The report by the Health Select Committee also found "unacceptable levels of variation in care" for people who are dying in England.

It said most people who express a preference say they would like to die at home, but this is made difficult by the shortfall in community nurses and specialist outreach palliative care.

MPs concluded that round-the-clock access to specialist palliative care in acute and community settings would greatly improve the way that people who are seriously ill - and their families and carers - are treated.

They also said sustainable, long-term funding for the hospice sector needs to be addressed along with recognition of the importance of the voluntary sector, while bereavement support for families should be included as part of end of life care.

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the charity Compassion in Dying, welcomed the report.