In recent years the independent hospice movement has done a great deal to promote care standards. But many issues remain unsolved. Can and should the hospice approach be translated into other settings? How can care be imrpoved in hospitals, in the community, and in residential and nursing homes? How can such care be costed and evaluated? What new service initiatives are required and how are these affected by changes in government policy? And how do planners and practitioners address the ethical and cultural needs of a changing society?

Drawing on a variety of disciplines and specialties in medicine, nursing and the social sciences, the contributors to this volume explore the future for palliative care, paying particular attention to the relationship between policy and practice.