The role of palliative and end-of-life care is being raised more often in the media. Unfortunately, this is more focused towards bad news stories, such as patients struggling to access end-of-life care or cuts to funding. This week we have seen another example of this with the permanent closure of the Marie Curie hospice in Liverpool due to a combination of staffing and funding challenges. This is just one of many examples of the challenges facing palliative care funding across the UK, and this is having a significantly negative effect on patients and their families. A survey commissioned by King’s College London in 2024 found that 65% of adults reported being worried about accessing palliative care services. In June 2025, Hospice UK launched its latest report, which explores access to palliative care and end-of-life services in rural and island communities. The report found that around two-thirds of people living in rural areas struggle to access vital palliative and end-of-life care close to home.

The role of the nurse has always been that of an advocate for our patients, and now more than ever, we must ensure that our voice is heard to prevent anyone from being denied access to specialist palliative and end-of-life care. Nurses play a crucial role in delivering these services, and we should celebrate and commend our colleagues working in this area, especially as they face daily challenges of reduced funding, limited staffing, and resources. The RCN Pain and Palliative Care Forum has been working with our members in this field, with a recent survey exploring their top three priorities for palliative care nursing. Unsurprisingly, a strong theme was focused on more funding for specialist services, improved development opportunities for the workforce, and addressing the inequity of access to services. This work was shared with a parliamentary group focused on using our collective voice to advocate for change. 

As we advance, these discussions will become increasingly vital as different pieces of legislation about assisted dying progresses across the UK. What is essential during this time is that we continue to emphasise the excellent palliative and end-of-life care provided daily across all care settings and advocate for improved access to these services. We must ensure everyone can benefit from specialist palliative and end-of-life support. Exceptional palliative and end-of-life care can be life changing for all involved, with long lasting effects for family members and nurses delivering the care. We must ensure that nurses are equipped with the tools and resources needed to deliver the high quality care they are committed to providing. I encourage all nurses to use their voice and share their concerns regarding the provision of these vital services with politicians. Together, we can be the voice for change.