Compassionate care for all: strengthening adult community specialist palliative care in north west London from October

Longer hours of care available, more at‑home support, and fairer, more consistent care across north west London —starting in Hillingdon, West London, Hammersmith & Fulham, Central London and south Brent.

From October 2025, NHS North West London will begin the phased rollout of Compassionate care for all and the new model of adult community specialist palliative care (CSPC). The first phase extends the availability of community specialist palliative care teams to 8am–8pm, seven days a week, and strengthens “hospice at home” support—so more people with complex needs can get the right help earlier, in the comfort of familiar surroundings. Further phases will follow over the coming months.

Dr Lyndsey Williams, Clinical Lead for End of Life Care, NHS North West London said

“This is a practical, positive step for patients and families. By extending specialist palliative community support for adults into the evenings and across weekends, we’re making it easier for people to get timely, compassionate care at home. We’ll keep working with our NHS and hospice partners—and with local communities—to deliver a fair, consistent offer of community specialist palliative care for everyone in North West London.”

What is changing from October

• Longer hours of care available, seven days a week: Community specialist palliative care teams will provide support 8am–8pm, 7 days, improving access and helping to reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
• Care closer to home: Expanded at‑home and community services to deliver expert symptom control, emotional and psychological support, and coordinated, holistic care.
• Partnership delivery: Changes will be implemented with local hospices and NHS providers to add capacity and improve consistency in care between boroughs.

Where the first phase goes live

Hillingdon

West London (Kensington and Chelsea, Queen’s Park and Paddington)

Hammersmith & Fulham

Central London (Westminster excluding Queen’s Park and Paddington)

Brent (South)

How to get support (no change to contact routes)

Patients, families and carers should continue to use existing contact routes—speak to your GP, community nurse, hospital team, or local hospice for advice and referrals. No new advice line is launching in October; current numbers and services remain in place. These changes add capacity and consistency—they do not remove current support.

Looking ahead: enhanced end‑of‑life care beds

Work is underway to develop enhanced end‑of‑life care beds for people who need round‑the‑clock, compassionate care but do not require consultant‑led specialist palliative care hospice inpatient care. We will engage locally on options—including location and providers, travel and visiting, cultural and spiritual needs, and family support—before any decisions are made. It is not anticipated that any new enhanced end‑of‑life care beds will open before the end of the year.

Part of a wider improvement

This October launch is the first step in delivering the new, co‑designed CSPC model approved by the NHS North West London Board in July 2025, which aims to improve equity, consistency and access across all eight boroughs. Implementation will continue in further phases.

Useful resource

HPAL – Your Trusted Palliative Care Resource: a free, expert‑curated platform for clinicians, carers and the public with evidence‑based guidance on palliative and end‑of‑life care: hpal.medindex.co.uk.

Stay in touch

If you would like a short briefing or have questions, please contact nhsnwl.endoflife@nhs.net. Please also help signpost residents to their existing NHS and hospice contacts for support and referrals.