ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the potential of the legal framework to ensure greater national consistency in palliative care resource provision. It outlines the remaining elements of the legal framework in the UK and Ireland. The chapter examines the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) framework on palliative sedation. It argues that greater coherence is required in the framework in the UK and Ireland in order to promote consistency and clarity for both the healthcare professional and the patient. The legal framework has an important normative role for both the patient and the healthcare professional. In effect, the legal framework is an often overlooked factor in the provision and development of palliative and specialist palliative care. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the statutory regulator for the medical profession in the UK. The importance of a clear legal framework for palliative and specialist palliative care has been recognised and highlighted by several stakeholders in patient care.
