Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Advanced Cancer Care Equality Strategy for Gender and Sexual Minorities study in improving palliative and end-of-life care for LGBT people.

Ben Gummer

We are committed to ensuring that everyone who is at, or approaching, the end of life has access to high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

Many people already receive excellent end of life care but, as shown by the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) recent review of inequalities in end of life care, A different ending: Addressing inequalities in end of life care, there is clearly more that can be done to ensure that all patients experience good quality care, regardless of their age, gender, race, condition, sexual orientation or gender identity.

We welcome the CQC’s review and we will work together with NHS England to use its findings, and those of the ACCESSCare: Advanced Cancer Care Equality Strategy for Sexual Minorities study, when it is published, to inform ongoing work to reduce inequalities in access to care.