A Christian advocacy group is calling on the Government to support a change in the law so that more than 100,000 adults and children every year do not miss out on vital end of life care.
Baroness Finley's Access to Palliatve Care Bill passed the second reading in the House of Lords on Friday. It wants the law to be changed so that clinical commissioning groups in England have a duty to ensure that the people in their area have access to palliative care services.
Speaking in the Lords, Baroness Finlay, a former doctor, said it was "just plain wrong" that the present system was "adversely affecting" those of black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as older people and those in more deprived areas.
She said that with hospitals "breaking under the current strains", moving more people into quality palliative care would free up around £75m for hospital services.
"Where people are cared for and die is influenced by local options. Good-quality community-based palliative care increases the chance of death at home, but that is not always possible or desirable, so appropriate and high-quality palliative care must be available in all settings," she said.
Baroness Brinton spoke in support of the Bill, saying that the current system subjected people to a "postcode lottery" where the provision could range greatly depending on where they lived.
"This is not a minor difference in care," she said.
She said many children and adults were the "victims of poor management decisions by financiers and of lack of communication" between the NHS, agencies, and charities.
"The Bill comes at a very appropriate time: the conditions many people are facing are dire," she said.
"Patients and their families cannot be faced with misunderstanding and having to fight their way through a maze of extraordinary decisions about what is social care and what is palliative care and whether it is provided by [cancer care charity] Marie Curie or a helper coming to the home. The Bill maps out a way forward."
CARE said the Bill was an "important piece of legislation" that would go a long way to making sure people nearing the end of their lives would have access to quality palliative care.
The Christian lobby group's senior policy Chris Buttenshaw said that although the UK is a world leader in the provision of palliative care, there was a "significant problem" when it came to accessing "good quality" care.
"There are more than 100,000 adults and children across England who are currently missing out because of gaps in provision and the quality of care provided varies greatly across the country, despite the best efforts of those who work tirelessly to care for those near the end of their lives," he said.
"We want people nearing the end of their lives to be cared for and supported, to be loved and treated with dignity and respect until the natural end of their lives.
"Palliative care isn't a silver bullet but in a holistic way, through management of pain and other symptoms, and provision of psychological, social and spiritual support, the goal of palliative care is to achieve the best quality of life for patients and their families.
"Good palliative care, and even the awareness that good palliative care is available, helps to alleviate many of the drivers and fears that might lead someone towards wanting to bring their life to a close before its natural end and helps people to live out their final days with dignity and security."
