Choosing Where I Die: Paediatric Palliative Care and Realistic Choice

11:15 – 12:30

For children approaching the end of life, preferred place of death is more than a location; it reflects what matters most to the child and family. High-quality paediatric palliative care should enable informed, realistic choice about place of care and death, while ensuring families are safely supported wherever care is provided.

This session will examine how Scotland’s Paediatric Palliative Care Clinical Advisory Service (CAS) emerged from clinical need, national mapping and policy, through cross-sector collaboration between Children’s Hospices Across Scotland and NHS Boards. It will explore how the CAS model, through a national multidisciplinary team and 24/7 access to specialist advice, supports local services to deliver high-quality end of life care.

The session will also reflect on the practical realities of delivering care across organisational boundaries, including governance, workforce and system challenges, and share early impact data. Delegates will consider how this learning can inform wider service integration and the development of similar advisory models.