This is the new Palliative Care Strategy

He Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS) has approved this Thursday the 2026-2030 document for the development of the Palliative Care Strategya plan that, as reported by the Ministry of Health, broadens the focus and places the patient’s suffering as a central criterion of care, beyond the terminal phase.

After twenty-five years since the first National PlanHealth emphasizes that the new strategy reinforces access to this care as an individual’s right, regardless of their pathology or place of residence. Furthermore, this care is no longer limited to terminally ill patients with a prognosis of less than six months, but rather focuses on the suffering caused by the disease as the main activator of care.

The Ministry highlights that this new care model responds to an epidemiological reality “inescapable”since it is estimated that 75 percent of deaths in Spain currently occur as a result of chronic diseases that generate palliative needs.

The document highlights that, while the cancer accounts for 25 percent Of these deaths, non-oncological diseases – such as dementia, organ failure or advanced frailty – already account for 50 percent, which establishes a proportion of two non-oncological cases for every case of cancer.

The department headed by Mónica García indicates that this trend is driven by the progressive aging of the population, which has increased the prevalence of adults with palliative needs to levels between 1.4 percent and 1.6 percent of the general population. In this scenario, the largest group of patients It is no longer the oncologybut rather those made up of people with multimorbidity and advanced frailty, who often face longer and more oscillating processes of deterioration that require comprehensive support long before the final phase of life.

Child and adolescent population

The new strategy places a special focus on the child and adolescent population, whose prevalence in Spain It is estimated at 65 per 10,000 children.. Thus, it includes perinatal care, through palliative coverage from the prenatal stage and the diagnosis of conditions incompatible with extrauterine life.

In addition, the new strategy guarantees a non-hasty transition towards adult resources for young people between 19 and 24 years old, avoiding the breakdown of the therapeutic bond at critical moments. The document also commits to guaranteeing access to education through hospital classrooms and home support, allowing the child to maintain their social relationships.

Likewise, to avoid unnecessary admissions to the emergency room, the strategy proposes 24-hour continuous attention365 days a year. This will be supported by expert telephone support services and the use of telemedicine, especially vital in rural areas with great geographic dispersion.

The figure of the liaison professional or nurse case manager as a fundamental piece to coordinate the patient’s transit between the hospital and home, ensuring that the personalized care plan is known by all levels of care.

Addresses social determinants

The strategy also addresses the social determinants of health. The need is recognized for combat gender bias in pain assessment – ​​where women often must declare higher pain levels to be registered – and to make visible the emotional burden of women as informal caregivers. It also fights against ageism, ensuring that older people in nursing homes receive quality care similar to that in the hospital environment.

Finally, the Ministry is committed to the model of ‘Compassionate Communities’, that empowers civil society (neighbors, friends and volunteers) to get involved in support and care at the end of life, normalizing death as part of the life cycle.

The 2026-2030 document for the development of the Palliative Care Strategy It has been the result of a collaborative process between the Institutional Committee (Autonomous Communities) and a Technical Committee of experts, scientific societies and patient associations.

With all this, the Ministry assures that the ultimate objective is that “every person in Spain can face the end of life with dignity, psychosocial support and effective relief of suffering guaranteeing safe and quality care.