Principles in procuring services

This page describes the resources available to ICBs in the Procuring Services section to help them design and fund palliative and end of life care for children and young people.

It also set out some of the issues that ICBs may wish to take into account to make sure that local services are high quality and personalised to children, young people and families.

The way in which the needs of children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions are met will vary from place to place. Children and young people’s palliative and end of life care services across different settings vary in terms of their referral criteria and their services models.

However, regardless of the service models used or the combination of providers that deliver palliative and end of life care to children and young people, ICBs may wish to ensure that all children, young people and their families can access the following services provided by hospitals, community services and children’s hospices working together:

• Medical care, including access to care from specialists in paediatric palliative and end of life care and specialists in the child or young person’s condition – and including access to 24-hour medical expertise in symptom control, either as advice or direct delivery.
• 24-hour nursing care from competent hands-on carers with access to specialised children and young people’s palliative and end of life care nurses when needed.
• Social care and practical support.
• Therapies such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and play therapy.
• Short breaks provided by appropriately trained and competent staff.
• Access to education, play and leisure.
• Emotional and bereavement support which is flexible and holistic.
• Spiritual support.

The information in our Understanding Local Children and Young People’s Palliative and End of Life Care Supply page sets out the the range of professionals and organisations who provide palliative and end of life care for children and young people across the NHS and voluntary sector. ICBs can use this information, in addition to the resources in this section, to help them shape the structure their local supply of children’s and young people’s palliative and end of life care.

Our Understanding the Population page will help ICBs to plan the capacity that they will need to commission to meet the needs of children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. It will also help ICBs to understand the demand for children and young people’s palliative and end of life care that they will need to manage.

In addition to the guidance we highlight in this section, ICBs may also wish to use the following Together for Short Lives’ resources to help them design and fund palliative and end of life care for children and young people:

Together for Short Lives’ Guide to Children’s Palliative Care

Together for Short Lives’ Standards Framework for Children’s Palliative Care

Together for Short Lives’ care resources, including those on:

• Core care
• Perinatal care
• Transition care

ICBs can browse Together for Short Lives’ resource library for advice and best practice on a range of children and young people’s palliative and end of life care issues. Resources are available as pdf downloads, and some can be ordered as hard-copies (free to families and our members). Download a catalogue of all our resources here.