Contact: Martin Combs ex 7479

e-mail [email protected]

1. Summary and Purpose

1.1. The purpose of this report sets out the findings and recommendations of the Review undertaken by the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Panel as agreed by the Committee in July 2006.

2. The Care at End of Life Review

2.1. The Review has taken approximately five months of intense research and evidence gathering activities, including select committee style meetings and visits to stakeholder locations where such insight was considered beneficial to the Review.

2.2. The main sections of the report comprise:

· Acknowledgements

· Introduction

· Scope and Terms of Reference

· Conduct of the Review

· Findings of the Panel

2.3. For ease of access to the reader, the Findings present the Conclusions and Recommendations first, whilst the following Commentaries summarise both the issues and the evidence considered by the Panel.

3. Recommendations

3.1. The Committee accept the Report and endorse the recommendations included within it.

3.2. The report and recommendations be sent to the Secretary of State for Health and relevant national regulators requesting that action be taken in response to the Panel's findings.

3.3. The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Safe and Healthy People Policy Review Committee monitor progress made against the recommendations in the Report as part of the 2007/08 work programme.

3.4. The report be circulates widely locally, regionally and nationally to inform policy development in this area.