What is palliative care?

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence defines palliative care as follows:

Palliative care is the active holistic care of patients with advanced progressive illness. Management of pain and other symptoms and provision of psychological, social and spiritual support is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families. Many aspects of palliative care are also applicable earlier in the course of the illness in conjunction with other treatments.

Palliative care aims to:

• Provide relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
• Integrate the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care
• Affirm life and regard dying as a normal process
• Offer a support system to help patients live as actively as possible
• Offer a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement