Supported by £3.5 million funding over four years, the Strategic Framework for Action by the Scottish Government sets out a vision for improving the delivery of palliative and end of life care across Scotland.

The Scottish Government makes 10 commitments including supporting research, education and innovation and ensuring palliative care is available for the 0-25 year age group.

By 2021, everyone in Scotland who needs palliative care
will have access to it.

The document provides the framework for regions to develop services appropriate to their needs. This is to be welcomed, as recent history has demonstrated some of the problems associated with rolling out models of care and pathways.^[2]

With respect to palliative care in the hospital setting, there is an acknowledgement that the profile of end of life care in hospitals needs be raised but that the implementation of palliative care in a hospital setting is difficult.

The commitment of PATCH to support specialist and quality end of life care in hospital is noted on page 20 in the accompanying summary of supporting evidence.

• The Scottish Government, 2015. Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care 2016-2021 – Supporting Evidence Summary