Date published: 24 November 2025 by Sophie Wichman

Speaking today, Rainbow Trust’s Chief Executive, Zillah Bingley, said:

“We welcome the announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care of a dedicated Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England, to be published in spring 2026.

“This is good news for families with a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness, and for the wider sector. The Government’s recognition of the pressing challenges – from earlier identification to commissioning consistency, workforce pressures and 24/7 community support – echoes what we know the families we support need. It is encouraging that the Government has acknowledged the need for compassionate support for individuals of all ages and their families and the significant challenges facing the ‘tens of thousands of children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.’

“For nearly 40 years, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity has delivered vital social palliative care: personalised, compassionate support from diagnosis through end of life and into bereavement. We look forward to working closely with the Government, the NHS, integrated care boards and sector partners to help shape the service framework and ensure it reflects the voices, needs and experiences of the families we support.

“We believe this framework has real potential to drive meaningful change: shifting care closer to home, integrating generalist and specialist teams, strengthening out-of-hours community health support and embedding personalised advance care planning. We welcome the opportunity to engage in the co-design and delivery of this vision, and to support its translation into high-quality, equitable care for all.

“We look forward to the publication of the framework in spring 2026 and to playing our part in bringing it to life.”