We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.

In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.

In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

Currently, approximately 600,000 people die per year in the United Kingdom. It is estimated that up to 90% of deaths could benefit from palliative and end of life care.

The Office for National Statistics has projected that, by 2040, approximately 800,000 people a year will die in the UK. Also, current trends point to a growing proportion of people dying from chronic diseases, particularly cancer and dementia. Taking these considerations together, it has been estimated that the number of people needing palliative and end of life care could increase by 42% by 2040.

We have committed to developing a 10-Year Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered, from hospital to community, from treatment to prevention, and from analogue to digital. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive the care they need when and where they need it, including those who need palliative and end of life care.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, including the hospice sector.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

In February, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones. In recognition of this, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices.

We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.

The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and community palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.

Funding provision for hospital care and community care services is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review, the outcome of which will be announced on 11 June.

Over a thousand newly qualified GPs will be recruited through changes to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, as a result of additional funding to address GP unemployment over 24/25. The change will allow patients to get access to the care they need through increasing appointments.

The change follows extensive engagement and consideration of options to support employment of additional GPs who have been trained and can provide necessary clinical capacity in general practice. No explicit assessment has been made of the potential value for money of the change.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist particularly in more rural and coastal areas. This Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

We also know that the most common reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital is to have rotting teeth removed. That is why we will also introduce a supervised tooth-brushing scheme for children aged three to five, targeting the areas of highest need.

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards across England.

We are currently reviewing the previous Government’s Dental Recovery Plan, Faster, simpler and fairer: our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, including proposals to deliver fluoride varnish treatments to more than 165,000 children in under-served areas, and what elements can be taken forward effectively. We will implement our Dental Rescue Plan, including introducing a supervised tooth-brushing scheme for three- to five-year-olds which targets the areas of highest need, and prioritise initiatives that will see the biggest impact on access to National Health Service dental care.

We have committed to trialling Neighbourhood Health Centres, to bring together a range of services under one roof. This is part of our broader ambition to move towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities, to spot problems earlier. Costs will ultimately be dependent on the scope of facilities and delivery model, and the Government will confirm further details and next steps in due course.

Everyone should have access to high quality care that supports choice and control, and enables people to live independent, dignified lives. This includes people living with dementia. We know that the health and social care system faces significant challenges, and that long-term reform is needed. This is why we plan to create a National Care Service and are developing a 10-year plan to radically reform the National Health Service and build a health service that is fit for the future. As part of this work, we will consider how best to meet the needs of people with dementia, including whether it is appropriate to develop a dementia strategy.

As my Rt hon. Friend the Minister for Secondary Care sets out, we have committed to trialling Neighbourhood Health Centres to bring together a range of services under one roof. This is part of our broader ambition to move towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier. We are working with officials to determine the next steps internally, and will provide further updates in due course.

No date has been set. The Government is determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, and strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions. Dentists that meet our high standards should be able to enter the workforce efficiently, and we are exploring the best ways to achieve this, including whether there is merit to the introduction of a provisional registration status for overseas-qualified dentists.

We greatly value the critical role general practitioners (GPs) play, and we are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community. Under the previous government, primary care and GPs have been receiving a smaller proportion of NHS resources, and we’re committed to reversing that. Departmental budgets for 2025/26 will be confirmed at my Rt hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Budget, on 30 October 2024.

While an official assessment has not been made, the Government has committed to bringing back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly, for example those living with chronic illness. Improved continuity of care with the same general practitioner (GP) is associated with better health outcomes, fewer GP appointments over time, and fewer accident and emergency attendances. This will be achieved by incentivising GPs to see the same patients, and we will work with the profession and engage with stakeholders to inform how this is delivered.

Delivering our other commitments relating to GPs will also support improvements in the provision of continuity of care. For instance: building capacity in practices by training thousands more GPs; guaranteeing face-to-face appointments for all those who want one; delivering a modern appointment booking system; and shifting resources to primary and community care services over time.

We are currently reviewing the policy paper, including proposals for a Smile for Life programme, and what elements can be taken forward effectively. We will implement our Dental Rescue Plan and prioritise initiatives that will see the biggest impact on access to National Health Service dental care.

We are considering the responses received to the consultation and our position on this proposal will be set out in due course. The Government is determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry and strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.

NHS England has issued guidance on the ringfencing of dental budgets for 2024/25 and will be reviewing for the next financial year. Ringfencing funding for future years will be reviewed as part of the Planning Guidance process. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PRN00888_Revenue-finance-and-contracting-guidance-for-2024-25_270324.pdf

To ensure compliance against this requirement, and to strengthen oversight of funding that is used to deliver access to National Health Service dental care, NHS England will meet with and collect monthly returns from all integrated care boards to establish current and planned spend against the ringfenced dental allocations budget.