Supportive and palliative care

Summary

The NICE clinical guidance on supportive and palliative care (CSG) advises those who develop and deliver cancer services for adults with cancer about what is needed to make sure that patients, and their families and carers, are well informed, cared for and supported.

The key recommendations are:

• People affected by cancer should be involved in developing cancer services
• There should be good communication, and people affected by cancer should be involved in decision making
• Information should be available free of charge
• People affected by cancer should be offered a range of physical, emotional, spiritual and social support
• There should be services to help people living with the after-effects of cancer manage these for themselves
• People with advanced cancer should have access to a range of services to improve their quality of life
• There should be support for people dying from cancer
• The needs of family and other carers of people with cancer should be met
• There should be a trained workforce to provide services

Documents

For healthcare professionals

• Supportive and palliative care: Executive summary
• Supportive and palliative care: Research evidence
• Supportive and palliative care: Economic review
• Supportive and palliative care: the Manual

For patients, carers and the public

• Supportive and palliative care: Information for the public

Background information

• 2004/015 New guidance will improve supportive and palliative care services for adults with cancer
• Scope for the development of service configuration guidance on supportive and palliative care

Implementing this guidance

Any further information NICE has produced to help the NHS implement this guideline locally is linked to below:

• None found