Urgent Access to Palliative and End of Life Care Medicines in North East London

Access to timely palliative and end of life care (PEoLC) medicines is essential for delivering compassionate, patient-centred care. Historically, provision across north east London has been inconsistent, particularly outside normal community pharmacy opening hours, with fragmented local arrangements and variable availability.

To address this, North East London Integrated Care Board, working with system partners, has introduced a new, unified service that seeks to ensure out of hours access to these medicines through a network of community pharmacies. Operating, 365 days a year, the service replaces previous arrangements with a single, equitable framework.

The purpose of this is to enable people to remain in their preferred place of care, usually at home, with timely symptom relief. By doing so, the service reduces pressure on hospitals, prevents crises, and promotes dignity at the end of life. It also ensures fairness, with consistent provision across all boroughs in north east London.

The expected impact is significant – improved quality of care for people at the end of life, enhanced experience of care for families, and reduced health inequity. It is a practical example of how local partners can work together to deliver compassionate, patient-centred care.

An information pack for primary care staff can be found attached.  

Please familiarise yourself with the information about accessing PEoLC medication. Information about how to access PEoLC medication out of hours has been circulated directly to community provider teams and out of hours GP providers.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions at all by emailing nelondonicb.medicinesoptimisationenquiries@nhs.net. 

Many thanks,

NEL Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation team

NHS North East London, Integrated Care Board