To ask the Minister of Health what work has been carried out by his Department on a Palliative Care Strategy.

I recognise the importance of quality palliative care in supporting people with life-limiting conditions to live well and achieve the best quality of life as their illness progresses.

The Palliative Care in Partnership programme continues to oversee the implementation of the Department’s ‘Living Matters:Dying Matters palliative and end of life care strategy for adults’ and the development and improvement of palliative and end of life care across the region.

In terms of any new palliative care strategy, it would be appropriate to wait for the Programme for Government process to be progressed, as this will provide the strategic driver for the future development of palliative and end of life care.

In the meantime, a number of initiatives are being progressed which I believe will further improve services and support in relation to both palliative care and bereavement. These include my Department’s new Cancer Strategy, the work being taken forward to develop the Advance Care Planning policy for adults and the work of the new regional Bereavement Network to enhance bereavement support.