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Palliative care
Palliative care relieves pain and other symptoms and supports the patient and their family when an illness cannot be cured.
Summary
- It can begin at diagnosis and run alongside treatment aimed at the disease.
- End of life care is the part of it given in the last months of life.
- It is delivered by hospitals, hospices, GPs and community nurses.
- Since 2022 integrated care boards in England have had a legal duty to arrange palliative care services that they consider appropriate.
In practice
- Palliative care reaches some conditions less than others. NHS England's 2023 long read on heart failure says few people with the condition were known to specialist palliative care services before they died.
In Hong Kong
- The government said in 2026 that palliative care in Hong Kong is primarily provided by the Hospital Authority, through all seven of its hospital clusters.
- In 2024/25 its palliative inpatient service recorded 8,082 discharges and deaths, and staff made 54,598 palliative home visits.
Interview questions
- What is the difference between palliative care and end of life care?
- Why might a patient with cancer be referred to palliative care soon after diagnosis?
- Hospices rely heavily on charity. Should the NHS fund them in full?
Sources
- legislation.gov.uklegislation.gov.uk/…/21
- NHS Englandengland.nhs.uk/…/addressing-palliative-and-end-of-life-care-needs-for-people-
- Hong Kong Governmentinfo.gov.hk/…/P2026040100525p.htm
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Our interview preparation has you answer questions like these out loud, with feedback on each answer.
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More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.