Yesterday a report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit gave the UK a 7.9 out of 10 for end of life care, joint top with Australia.

A team of researchers compared 40 countries and concluded that access to drugs and carers were the two most important issues in end of life care. They also found that charities played a crucial role in offering support to patients, particularly through networks of hospices.

David Praill of Help the Hospices said:

“It is heartening to see British healthcare leading the world in one area.

“Hospice care was pioneered in the UK  – but despite the success of the sector there are still people who face the end of life without specialist care and support.

“Palliative care is a human right and we still have a lot of work to  do to make sure that everyone is supported at the end of life, irrespective of where they choose to be cared for.”

Simon Hopkins from the ProLife Alliance said:

“This is very good news and we salute the efforts of all those involved in end of life care in this country. We should rightly be proud of having the best palliative care in the world but there is still more that can be done to provide support for people nearing the end of their lives.

“This shows that we are heading down the right track and the last thing we should do is to legalise euthanasia and undermine all the good work that has been achieved up to now.”