My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Patel. I am pleased to give my wholehearted support to Amendment 47 and to Amendment 52, to which I have added my name, which compellingly requires the commissioning of specialist palliative care services in every part of England. Throughout my life and work I have often had the privilege of being present with families and communities, supporting people of all ages through the final chapter of their life, so I have seen at first hand the enormous difference that high-quality palliative care can make to their experience of dying, death and bereavement.
However, as the noble Baronesses, Lady Brinton and Lady Masham, pointed out, 90% of people might need such care, but as things stand at present only
about half of them will receive it. What is more, it is all too often those in our most deprived communities who are dying without the help and dignity they deserve.
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To that end, a compelling body of evidence has been provided by Marie Curie, the end-of-life charity, which has been mentioned several times already in this debate. Building on that evidence, this amendment will not only prevent many people with a terminal illness dying in pain but deliver significant cost savings to the NHS by reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.
I believe that the Bill provides us with a great opportunity to improve palliative care for everyone. As we have heard, Clause 16 explicitly mentions several services that ICBs are required to commission—for instance, maternity and dentistry—but as the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, made clear, it makes no direct reference to improving care and support for people living with a terminal illness.
It is also the case that, as we heard, of those 23 integrated care systems that have already published their strategies, only six have mentioned end-of-life care as a priority. That in itself speaks volumes. Yet we have been reminded that, as a result of our ageing population, in 20 years’ time there will be about 100,000 more people dying each year. The need for good palliative care will increase rapidly in years to come. This amendment will help ensure that the demand is met.
This amendment has attracted a great deal of support from professionals and the public, as well as providers. I urge the Government to accept it as a vital part of our commitment to care for everyone from birth to death, and to ensure that all have the best possible end-of-life experience, regardless of where they live.