Palliative care strategy launched

A major new report into palliative care services in Wales, has been published.

If the Welsh Assembly Government supports the key recommedations, services will be required to be consultant-led, with support from multi-disciplinary teams including specialist palliative care nurses and other health professionals.

Improved standards of out-of-hours care will also have to be met and a new patient registration card and single contact point will be explored to improve the support to patients and their families. This is welcome news - and long overdue.