Policy and Campaigns

POLICY AND
CAMPAIGNS

St Christopher’s Hospice is committed to shaping policy that enhances end of life and palliative care for all.

Grounded in our experience delivering compassionate, person-centred support, our policy and public campaigning work seeks to influence systems and decision-makers to create lasting change.

Consultation Response: 10-Year Health Plan for England

As part of the NHS consultation process to shape its 10-Year Health Plan, St Christopher’s submitted a formal response highlighting the critical role of hospice and palliative care in a future-fit health system. We used this opportunity to advocate for equitable access to high-quality end of life care, greater investment in community-based services, and a stronger integration of palliative care across all settings.

Our response reflects our vision for a system that values compassionate care at the end of life as a core part of healthcare delivery, not an optional add-on. We will continue to engage with national partners to ensure these priorities are reflected as the plan is published and implemented.

10 year health plan (PDF)

Written response: End of Life and Palliative Care Commission

St Christopher’s submitted a consultation response to the End of Life Care Commission, helping to highlight both the strengths and shortfalls of palliative and end of life provision. Our input was grounded in first-hand knowledge of what works and what doesn’t for people at the end of life.

We shared evidence and insights from our clinical practice, research, and partnerships to inform recommendations for a more inclusive, coordinated, and compassionate model of care. Our aim is to ensure that the Commission’s findings contribute meaningfully to broader policy, including the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, and lead to practical improvements in care for people approaching the end of life.

Written response: End of Life and Palliative Care Committee (PDF)

St Christopher’s organisational position on Assisted Dying

At St Christopher’s we continue to hold a neutral position on assisted dying and are committed to listening to patients, public, staff and volunteers. Below is our organisational position statement:

At St Christopher’s we acknowledge the wide-ranging views held by the public and professionals on Assisted Dying and the importance of everyone accessing good palliative care.

Society and its expectations around end of life is changing and we want to work with a broad range of stakeholders to better understand people’s preferences and how they are best met by organisations like ours in the future.

This will help us work towards, and achieve, our enduring ambition to ensure that good end of life care is accessible for all who need it; highly individualised and responsive to people’s needs and wishes.

The Assisted Dying Bill has significant implications for society, policy makers, health systems, & hospices.

All stages of the Bill call for informed debate and understanding about why someone might request an assisted death, who should respond and the implications for those working in palliative care.

Whilst the details are unclear, we want to inform discussions with our knowledge of challenges and opportunities to improve palliative care for all. We are committed to initiating and supporting a broad range of conversations about this complex issue, introducing a variety of materials and evidence to shape debate. Then we intend to share our learning with policy makers, other hospices and any other stakeholders interested to hear more.

Through these discussions and without assuming the answer we will explore, together, whether Assisted Dying could or should be considered to be part of palliative care in the UK in the future or whether it should sit outside of this remit.

Community Research Report on Assisted Dying

In 2023-24, St Christopher’s carried out interviews with 50 members of the public living in south east London on the topic of assisted dying. The interviews considered assisted dying and allowed for a broader discussion of death in order to understand more fully people’s responses.

The interviews used qualitative research methodology and semi structured questions meaning people could give, explain and develop their views, creating a more considered and dialogue-based response to assisted dying than we commonly hear or see depicted in media or policy debates.

In this report we summarise some of the main themes and findings.

Assisted Dying – Community Research Report (PDF)

Call for Evidence – Assisted Dying Bill

St Christopher’s Hospice submitted written evidence to the Public Bill Committee considering the Assisted Dying Bill. Our submission draws on our extensive expertise in end of life care and sets out specific concerns and recommendations to ensure any future legislation prioritises safety, equity, and compassionate, person-centred care.

We focused on three core areas: safeguarding mental capacity and protecting against coercion; embedding a mandatory multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach to support complex decision-making; and addressing health inequalities to ensure universal, inclusive access to support.

Call for Evidence Assisted Dying Bill (PDF)

Viewpoints on Assisted Dying – An Introductory Report

Over two years ago, we at St Christopher’s Hospice in south London decided to undertake some organisational work to understand more about assisted dying. This was not in order to take a position but to be better informed and prepared in event of increasing interest and potentially a change in the law.

We’d seen polling take a simple yes or no approach to this issue. But we knew this could not be the full picture. As a part of an organisational commitment to working in partnership with community members to improve end of life experiences, we decided that we needed to speak with local people to understand their views.

This Introductory Report is based on the talking points and concerns we heard from community members about assisted dying and was shared with MPs prior to the first reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in parliament in 2024.

Viewpoints on Assisted Dying (PDF)

Explore our latest policy publications to see how we’re driving improvements, addressing inequalities, and advocating for care that truly meets people’s needs at the end of life.

Policy briefings will be available here soon.

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