News Archive

This section provides access to archived NCPC news.

Do you involve patients / carers in your work?

Click here for find out about the National Centre for Involvement "Involvement to Impact" Awards 2008

NCPC / RCN Joint Position Statement for Independent Prescribers

Click here for full details.

NCPC applauds the launch of the End of Life Care Strategy for England

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Latest Publication: Capacity to Care - A Data Analysis and Discussion of the Capacity and Function of Care Homes as Providers of End of Life Care

Click here for more details.

NCPC Committed to Improving Quality of Life at the End of Life for People with Dementia

NCPC are delighted to announce the launch of their new compendium on dementia: Creative Partnerships: Improving Quality of Life at the End of Life for People with Dementia.

Click here to read the press release. Also, click here to read more about the publication.

NCPC Response to the DH Consultation on Options for the Future of Payment by Results

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Mental Capacity Act e-learning Tool Launched

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NCPC 15th Anniversary Celebrations

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Tony Blair Sends a Message of Support to NCPC

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NCPC Launches its new Magazine Inside Palliative Care

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Hospices and the new Smokefree Law

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NCPC Supports Baroness Finlay's Palliative Care Bill

NCPC has demonstrated that there is significant inequity of access to palliative care due to diagnosis, geography, age, and social disadvantage. The spread of services is patchy and therefore requires strategic planning and sustainable funding. Consequently NCPC is supporting Baroness Finlay’s forthcoming Palliative Care Bill.

Click here to read the press release in full. To read the briefing for peers, click here.

NCPC Comments on the Debate on Palliative Care in the House of Lords on 31st January 07

The National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) is delighted that the House of Lords had the opportunity to discuss palliative care, and thanks Baroness Jay for initiating this debate. There was clear support amongst those who took part in the debate for the further development of palliative care services for all who need them. This is extremely welcome, and accords with agreed government policy over many years.

NCPC would like to clarify and comment on some of the points made in the debate.

Click here to read more.

Department of Health Announces End of Life Care Strategy Board Members

The advisory board members to support the development of the end of life care strategy for adults were announced by the Department of Health on 26th January 07. The board, appointed by the Health Minister Rosie Winterton, will provide advice on the strategy which will ensure choice, quality of care, equity of access and value for money for people across England. The board includes Chief Executives of leading charities, senior clinicians and managers from the NHS and social care.

Click here to download the press release for details.

NCPC calls for mandatory training for all staff who care for the dying

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New Response to the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill 2005

Lord Joffe's new Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill is due to have its second reading debate in the House of Lords on 12 May 2006. This follows his 2004 Bill of the same name, which ran out of time when the 2005 general election was called. The purpose of this briefing is to explain what the key points are of the 2005 Bill and how it differs from the 2004 Bill, to compare it against the Select Committee's recommendations, and to consider it from NCPC's perspective as set out in its response to the Select Committee's report.

To order this publication, click here.

NCPC's response to the national survey of end-of-life decisions made by UK medical practitioners

For details, please click here. (20KB)

National Council Responds to the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill

The National Council for Palliative Care has published a detailed response to the House of Lords Select Committee report on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill.

We welcome the balanced nature of the Select Committee’s report, and particularly the way it identified the significant issues and gaps in the evidence that need to be addressed before a decision whether or not to legalise assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia can safely be made.

The National Council will be seeking to establish a collaborative of interested organisations to research these and other issues and obtain further evidence. In view of the magnitude of what is involved, we believe that unless and until those issues can be resolved, it would not be right to change the law.

To read the single-page Executive Summary of the National Council for Palliative Care’s response to the House of Lords Select Committee report on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, click here

The full response contains a detailed analysis of all the ethical and practical issues raised in Select Committee's report, and sets them in the context of current developments in palliative care. To order a copy of the full 36-page publication, please click here.

Last Chance to Secure Palliative Care Books to Donate to Resource Poor Countries

The National Council for Palliative Care and Hospice Information are jointly donating over a thousand books and journals to resource poor countries. We hope that these countries will be able to use the information to assist them practically and help further their palliative care reference libraries and collections. The books vary in subject from care of the dying to outcome measures in palliative care, and they are free of charge to any organisation based overseas in a resource poor country. This offer is now in its final stages and the books will only be available for a short time.

If you know of an organisation that could benefit from receiving these books or if you think your organisation would find these free journals useful and a practical source of information, please e-mail: publications@ncpc.org.uk with information detailing the palliative care topics you are most interested in.

Dispatches: On Pain of Death

"Nine out of ten of us say we want to die at home. But in fact many of us will die in an NHS hospital bed - often in terrible pain. That is the British way of death." (Channel 4)

In association with AR TV, NCPC have helped compiled sections of this documentary Dispatches: On Pain of Death aired on Channel 4 at 8pm on Monday 18th July. If anyone would like to discuss the issues raised further, please contact Alexa Gainsbury on 020 7697 1520.

Working with the New Government

Click here for details.

CSCI Consultation on the 'Terminal Illness' Category in Care Homes

The National Council has now published its formal response to the Commission of Social Care Inspection's proposal to get rid of the 'terminal illness' category currently used in the registration of care homes. To download the NCPC response, click here.

All main political parties pledge support for Palliative Care

Click here for details.

National Council press release on Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill

The National Council has welcomed the recent report from the House of Lords Select Committee on The Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. To read the National Council’s Press Release, click here.

If you are unable to find the news item you are looking for, please contact The National Council HQ team on 020 7697 1520 for further information.