A commentary on 'An integrated care pathway for the last two days of life'

Reading the article from Fowell et al (2002) made me consider how far palliative care has developed in the UK in the past two decades. Some changes have undoubtedly benefited patients, particularly improvements in symptom control and the recognition that new roles, such as nurse consultants, have the capacity to help shape the future of the specialty. The greatest challenge, however, remains the need to improve palliative care provision in 'specialist' as well as 'general' settings where the vast majority of end of life care continues to be provided.