Doctors and end-of-life experts report that palliative care is hugely reliant on community-led funding. Nancy Preston, a Professor of Supportive and Palliative Care, told a select committee last year that 75 per cent of the services in England are supported by money raised through tombolas. Compared to other parts of our healthcare system, palliative care receives significantly less investment from the NHS. Given this chronically underfunded but critical part of medical care in Britain, is the country ready to consider the knotty question of assisted dying?
This Q&A is adapted from Insight, a new weekly series from the New Statesman Podcast. Kate Lamble speaks to two senior palliative care professionals – Nancy Preston and Katharine Sleeman. The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity. You can listen to the full version wherever you get your podcasts.
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