We are committed to ensuring that everyone in our region can experience high-quality palliative and end of life care (PEoLC) that respects their wishes and meets their needs. We believe that everyone deserves the chance to die with dignity, in their preferred place, surrounded by those they love.
To shape this vision, we partnered with Healthwatch to gather the voices and experiences of people across West Yorkshire who have accessed or supported someone through end of life care. This engagement, carried out between 2023 - 2024, helped inform a comprehensive health needs assessment (HNA).
What the report covers
The HNA evaluates the current state of PEoLC in West Yorkshire, identifying strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement. It draws on a wide range of data sources and has been developed in collaboration with:
- hospitals, hospices and care homes
- individuals with lived experience
- voluntary sector partners
- local authorities and Place-based public health teams
The findings are framed around NHS England’s Ambitions Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care and will help shape more consistent, compassionate and equitable services across the five Places of West Yorkshire: Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield District.
Why this matters
The HNA places a strong focus on tackling health inequalities and improving access to PEoLC for underserved communities - including those living in poverty, people with learning disabilities or serious mental illness, unpaid carers, ethnic minority groups and individuals experiencing homelessness.
The report was presented to the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board in December 2024 and we are now calling for a system-wide commitment to address the findings and take forward a regional transformation programme for PEoLC.
Read the West Yorkshire palliative and end of live care health needs assessment.