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The Assembly’s Health Committee has launched a ‘Call for Views’ on the provision of and access to palliative and hospice care here. The Committee is calling on patients, their families and health care providers to respond to a short survey outlining their direct experiences of accessing this important health care service.  

Speaking after the launch of the review of access to palliative care services, the Committee Chairperson Liz Kimmins MLA recently said:

“The Committee has been keen to examine current issues around the provision of palliative care for some time, particularly in relation to accessibility and equity and on how these crucial services are funded.

“It’s vital that we develop our understanding of the current provision of palliative and hospice care, the challenges faced by patients and their families in accessing that care as well as examples of good practice that could be adopted across all health care trusts to ensure equality and access for all.”

The Chairperson continued:

“We are calling on all those with direct experiences of accessing palliative care services to please take the time to help us by completing our ‘Call for Views’ survey. Their responses will give the Committee invaluable insight, context and knowledge and crucially, will inform and underpin our final recommendations to the Minister and the Department on the future of palliative care provision here.”   

The Chairperson concluded:

“It is a sad fact of life that many of us, or our families and friends have been or will be affected by the difficulties and complications that arise from long term illness. As a Committee, we are committed to ensuring that palliative care is holistic, available equally and focussed on improving the quality of life for all those affected by long term illness.”

The Committee ‘Call for Views’ survey and further information is available here and will remain open until 10 January 2025. All responses will be factored into the final Committee Report on the Review of Access to Palliative Care Services and will help inform the Committee’s recommendations to the Minister for Health and the Department. 

For media enquiries please contact:

Sinead Murphy, Communications Officer

Northern Ireland Assembly

Mobile: 0789 9864 368

Email: Sinead.murphy@niassembly.gov.uk  

Notes to Editor:

• Further information about the Health Committee, its Membership and its work can be found here