We know that needing palliative or end of life care can be an incredibly difficult and uncertain time for people and their families. Clear information, timely support and knowing where to turn can make a real difference.
This update sets out how adult specialist palliative and end-of-life care is improving across North West London, what support is already in place, and what further changes are coming over the next two years.
Since 2021, we have been working closely with residents, families, clinicians, hospices and community groups to understand what really matters when people need specialist palliative and end‑of‑life care.
Together, we co‑developed a new model of care that is compassionate, fair and built around people’s needs. It supports the national ambition for personalised, high‑quality end‑of‑life care and reflects the priorities and experiences shared during extensive engagement and the public consultation between November 2024 and February 2025.
Thanks to additional funding secured in July 2025, we began rolling out improvements from October 2025 with an expectation all improvements will be in place by October 2027. Many people across North West London are already benefiting from better access, longer service hours and strengthened support.
We also want to acknowledge that, following the the Compassionate Care For All public consultation, we have not always communicated as clearly or as regularly as people would have expected. We know this has led to understandable questions and uncertainty for some patients, families and stakeholders.
We are committed to improving this. This update is part of a clearer, more open approach to sharing progress, and we will continue to provide regular updates as services develop
What has improved so far?
8am-8pm, Seven‑Day Adult Specialist Palliative Care Community Support
Teams in Hillingdon, West London, Central London, Hammersmith & Fulham and south Brent now operate 8am–8pm, seven days a week, helping people get timely support when they need it most.
Better Hospice at Home services
Harlington Hospice and St John’s Hospice have strengthened Hospice at Home support to ensure 24/7 care is available when needed.
Enhanced out-patient specialist palliative care services
People in Hounslow and Ealing now have improved access to outpatient care from their local community specialist palliative care service including lymphoedema, bereavement and psychology support.
What’s coming next?
We will continue to introduce service improvements across all boroughs during 2026 and 2027. This includes:
More 8am-8pm, seven‑day adult specialist palliative care community Support
Hounslow, Ealing, Harrow and north Brent will all see extended‑hours Community Specialist Palliative Care teams go live during 2026.
- Harrow – 1 June 2026
- North Brent – 1 April 2026
- Ealing and Hounslow – 1 June 2026
More Hospice at Home
Ealing and Hounslow will have access to a brand new hospice at home service, go live date is to be confirmed as we work through the detailed planning with the provider.
Enhanced end‑of‑life care beds
Every borough will have access to new Enhanced End‑of‑Life Care (EoLC) beds. Planning is well underway with local hospices and providers, to scope out credible, deliverable options for these beds. Because these beds are such an important part of end-of-life care, we are taking the time to get this right with local hospices, clinicians and communities. This has taken longer than expected to identify deliverable options and we will begin engaging residents from April 2026 for feedback on the proposed location of these beds.
We know how important it is that these beds meet local needs and are designed with compassion, dignity and accessibility at their core.
Supporting better access for adult community specialist palliative care for all
Alongside service improvements as part of the new model of care, we are focusing on key foundations that help people experience smoother, better‑coordinated care.
A stronger workforce
We are working with providers to develop a sustainable workforce with the skills, capacity and resilience needed to support people with specialist palliative care needs, starting with a detailed needs analysis across all providers.
Clearer information and easier access
We’re engaging with communities to understand barriers and co‑create information that helps people know what support is available and how to access it.
Universal Care Plans
We are expanding the adoption of universal care plans, London’s digital care planning solution, to help people openly discuss and record what matters to them, ensuring their wishes are understood and respected.
A single 24/7 advice line
A round‑the‑clock telephone advice line will support patients, families and professionals with immediate guidance and coordinated access to specialist palliative care services. We are working to operationalise a single telephone number for all patients, regardless of whether or not they are known to specialist palliative care services, with a planned launch date of September 2026 for this service.
Enhanced End‑of‑Life Care Beds – next steps
Introducing Enhanced End-of-Life Care beds is one of the most complex parts of this work. Whilst initial planning conversations for these beds has taken longer than expected, delaying the local engagement on options for locations of these beds, our commitment to delivering these services is unchanged. We are:
- completing options appraisals for each borough
- developing clear, deliverable proposals with providers
- preparing for public engagement from April 2026, starting in Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster.
Feedback from residents and stakeholders will directly shape the final proposals for each borough.
Our ongoing commitment
We remain firmly committed to:
- providing compassionate, personalised care for everyone who needs it.
- making services easier to navigate and more consistent across North West London.
- continuing open conversations with communities, patients, carers and partner organisations.
- ensuring every improvement reflects what matters most to the people we serve.
We know that palliative and end-of-life care is not something people plan for, and that needs can change quickly. Support is available now, and services will continue to improve over the coming months and years. We remain committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care for everyone who needs it, and to being open and clear with patients, families and communities as this work continues.