Proposed improvements to adult community specialist palliative care services across north west London have been broadly welcomed by residents in the early stages of public consultation. People attending meetings about the ‘Compassionate Care For All’ consultation have praised plans to introduce enhanced end-of-life care beds to address gaps in care. But concerns have been raised over travel accessibility, workforce shortages and the potential permanent closure of Pembridge Palliative Care Centre inpatient beds.
Three local consultation meetings and NHS North West London’s Residents’ Forum, explored ways to improve adult community specialist palliative care for local communities. Enhanced end-of-life care beds, designed for patients needing more support than home care but not intensive hospice care, were seen as a positive step.
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Concerns were raised about ensuring these beds are accessible, particularly for underserved areas like North Kensington and Westminster, where journey times and public transport challenges were highlighted. There were also calls for culturally sensitive care tailored to diverse communities, considering the diversity that can be found across all eight boroughs in north west London.
Dr Lyndsey Williams, Clinical Lead for the adult community specialist palliative care review programme in north west London said: “These proposals aim to deliver fairer, more accessible care for all residents, addressing longstanding inequalities in adult community specialist palliative care provision. Enhanced end-of-life beds offer a vital option for families who need support outside the home, and we are committed to ensuring their placement reflects community needs.”
The consultation continues, with more consultation events planned in the New Year. NHS North West London’s involvement team will continue to be out and about meeting local residents and stakeholders gathering feedback and thoughts.
Robyn Doran, Borough Director for Brent Integrated Care Partnership and Senior Responsible Officer for the adult community specialist palliative care review programme added: “We have received some positive and constructive feedback about our proposals so far but we want to hear from as wide range of people as possible so please come forward and give your views. You can do so by attending one of our consultation events or simply filling in our survey.”