End of life care for children and young people

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidance for children and young people. It is estimated that more than 40,000 children and young people in England are living with a life-limiting condition (where there is no reasonable hope of cure).

Welcoming the draft guidance, Claire Henry, CEO of the National Council for Palliative Care, issued the following statement:

“We support the general principles this draft guidance is built on, and encourage people to respond to the consultation. All people should have a central role in planning their end of life care if possible, whatever their age, and it is essential that younger people and their families can be supported by medical staff through open and honest conversations. We can’t avoid death by not talking about it, and although facing the death of a child is something no-one wants to do, this guidance shows that we can all benefit from discussing death and dying with those we care about.”