ABSTRACT
Whilstrecognisingthateveryoneisentitledtoaccesshospiceandpalliative careservicesandthattheseshouldbeappropriatetomeetindividualneeds, itisalsorecognisedthathealthcareserviceshavetraditionallyfoundit difficulttorespondtotheneedsofsomeindividualsorgroupsinsociety.It isgenerallyacceptedthatcertaingroupsandindividualsaredeniedequal opportunitiesandexperiencediscrimination.Ethnic,racial,religiousand nationalminorities,lesbiansandgaymen,peoplewithphysicaland learningdisabilitiesandinfirmityofoldageareamongthosewhorequire specificprovisiontoobtainservicesatthesamelevelofacceptabilityas thoseinthemainstreamandwithoutdiminishingthequalityofserviceto themajority.Withinanyhealthspecialism,attemptswouldbemadeto provideforapatientwithanunusualoruncommoncondition.Thesame principlesshouldapplytothosewhohaveparticularrequirementsasa resultoftheircultureorlifestyle.
