Palliative care strategy: consultation analysis

1. Consultation Summary

The Scottish Government ran a public consultation on the new palliative care strategy, Palliative Care Matters for All, from October 2024 to January 2025. This consultation gathered views on the strategy, its aims, intended outcomes and the actions designed to deliver them.

A total of 160 responses to the survey questions were received, 52% from organisations and 48% from individuals.

A majority of respondents (82.5%) supported the overall aims of the strategy. Most agreed with all the outcomes. Many respondents provided detailed comments and suggestions. This report summarises the main consultation responses. It highlights the most important points from what respondents said. These inform the final strategy and its delivery plan.

The final strategy Palliative Care Matters for All (2025-30) is shorter with clearer language and definitions than the draft strategy. The aims and outcomes have been revised and clarified following this consultation. The strategy is now supported by an initial delivery plan (2025-28) with amended actions linked to relevant strategy outcomes.

Palliative care matters for people of all ages living with any life shortening conditions and can begin from around diagnosis. More needs to be done to enable people and communities to support each other and talk about living with life shortening conditions, planning ahead, dying, death and bereavement.

Palliative care needs to be flexible and inclusive. It is often provided over years rather than months. Care around dying is when someone is in their last hours, days or few weeks of life. It involves and supports people close to the person into bereavement.

People with life shortening conditions receive care and support from their families, friends, local communities, social care services, the NHS and third sector organisations. Support for families and carers is essential. Specialist palliative care services (NHS services and independent hospice services) should be available to offer additional expertise in all places of care. They could take on a greater role in delivery of key health and care priorities if better planned, resourced and integrated with other community and hospital-based services.

We are grateful to all the individuals and organisations that took so much time and effort to respond to the palliative care strategy consultation.