Palliative Care Matters for All: palliative care strategy 2025 to 2030

Palliative Care Strategy Delivery Plan

An initial delivery plan (2025-28) is published alongside our strategy – Palliative Care Matters for All. It sets out how the Scottish Government will work with everyone who plans and delivers palliative care in Scotland and in partnership with people of all ages who have life shortening conditions, their families, carers and communities to deliver the changes needed.

There are 23 actions in six groups in the delivery plan that together will enable us to achieve the eight strategy outcomes for people of all ages across Scotland.

Action Groups (6)

Enabling Communities

• Public information
• Living and dying well in communities
• Bereavement support

Delivering Palliative Care

• Telephone support 24/7
• Integrated palliative care
• Specialist advice (adult)
• Specialist advice (child)
• Care transitions

Future Care Planning

• Person-centred planning
• Delivering future care planning
• Digital future care plans
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Education and Learning

• Palliative Care Guidelines
• Palliative Care Learning Hub

Data and Experiences

• Lived experiences
• Population data
• Adult specialist palliative care
• Paediatric palliative care

Governance and Reporting

• Palliative care planning/reporting
• Executive leadership
• Managed care networks

Outcomes (8)

Supportive communities

Adult palliative care

Paediatric palliative care

Future care planning

Care around dying

Education and learning

Palliative care data

Governance

Aims (2)

Enabling people and communities

Strengthening palliative care

The strategy delivery plan is not based on substantial additional funding given the challenging financial climate, but rather seeks to improve the resources and data that are needed to support staff and organisations to deliver high quality palliative care and care around dying. The Scottish Government is promoting and recognising this invaluable care by giving it greater recognition in conjunction with Integration Authorities, Health Boards, and third sector organisations.

This delivery plan outlines how the actions will be delivered, measured and monitored, along with governance arrangements and reporting. All the actions in the delivery plan include a requirement to address inequalities and improve inclusion. People of all ages with life shortening conditions and their families and carers should receive the right care and support for them, in the right place, at the right time, and from the right people.

Success is the responsibility of no single organisation, but a shared partnership. The strategy’s delivery will be supported through regular reporting on the specific actions and progress against the outcomes, as well as responding flexibly to changes over time.

In June 2025, the Scottish Government published the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework which sets out the strategic intent for health and social care services. At the same time, the Population Health Framework outlined the long term, collective approach to improving Scotland’s health and reducing health inequalities for the next decade.

The palliative care strategy emphases early identification, shared care planning and community empowerment so is aligned with how both frameworks shift towards preventative, person-centred and sustainable care.

Annex A shows how the palliative care strategy actions reflect the vision in both these frameworks.