Key Takeaways
- Campaigners claim some NHS care boards in England are not fulfilling their legal duty.
- Children are being forced to die in hospitals instead of at home.
- Critics describe the situation as 'cruel' and a 'postcode lottery'.
Critics are calling for immediate action to address the widespread failure of the NHS in England to provide end-of-life care for seriously ill children at home, according to a recent campaign.
The campaign highlights that some care boards are not adhering to their legal obligations, resulting in a 'postcode lottery' where the quality of care can vary significantly depending on the area.
Serious concerns have been raised that this failure is forcing children who wish to die at home to do so in hospitals, a situation that has been described as 'cruel' by campaigners.
The campaign points out that the NHS has a legal duty to provide the necessary care to enable seriously ill children to die at home, but this is not being consistently met across the country.
According to the campaign, the lack of consistent care is leading to a disparity in the quality of end-of-life care, with some children receiving the support they need and others not.
The situation has been described as a 'postcode lottery', where the outcome for seriously ill children can depend on where they live, rather than their individual needs.
Campaigners are urging the NHS to take immediate steps to ensure that all seriously ill children have access to the care they need to die at home, regardless of their location.
The campaign also calls for greater transparency and accountability from the NHS to address the inconsistencies in the provision of end-of-life care.
