Intensive Care Society statement on Palliative Care Commission Report
The Intensive Care Society welcomes the important report published by the Palliative Care Commission. We echo its call for improved access to high-quality, timely palliative care for all who need it.
We believe there is significant potential to improve how palliative care is delivered within intensive care settings. ICU admissions are rising, and approximately 20% of patients admitted to an ICU will die during that admission. Yet palliative care in this context is not limited to end-of-life moments — it must also support those navigating life-limiting illness before, during, and after their time in critical care.
To truly meet the needs of patients and their families, we must invest in the infrastructure, staffing, and resources that enable compassionate, consistent palliative support across the entire care journey. This is central to the success of how intensive care operates to serve the whole population, both through acute or unplanned admissions and provision of elective services for high-risk surgeries.
The Society’s submission to the Commission highlighted the integral part intensive care medicine plays in palliative care. It identified as key priorities:
- increasing specialist palliative input to intensive care
- strengthening training in advanced communication skills.
- enhancing access to rehabilitation and psychological services
- improved funding for hospice and complex home care (including long-term ventilation)
- supporting relationship based GP services outside the acute environment
- addressing health inequalities
“High-quality palliative care should be available to all who need it. We have an opportunity to make that a reality — for those who are nearing or at the end of life who hope to live with as much dignity, ability, and comfort as possible. It is vital that we all work together to deliver this in the NHS.”
Professor Shondipon Laha
President, Intensive Care Society
The Intensive Care Society remains committed to championing better palliative care for critically ill patients — care grounded in empathy, dignity, and compassion.