#2026-404Equal Access to Palliative Care and Support
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This law strengthens the right to palliative care and support in France and frames it as part of the fundamental right to health protection. It expands the concept beyond medical care alone, covering physical pain, psychological distress, social needs, spiritual needs, and support for relatives, including after a patient’s death. It affects healthcare providers, care homes, prisons, regional health agencies, chronic pain services, patients with serious illness, and families. Services must be available early, continuously, close to where people live or receive care, and across the whole country in a way that reduces unequal access.
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Key Changes
- Defines palliative care and support as part of the fundamental right to health protection.
- Requires care to cover physical pain, psychological distress, social and spiritual needs, and support for relatives.
- Calls for equitable access across France, including in care facilities and places of detention.
Obligations
What this law requires
Provide palliative support and care as a comprehensive, local package adapted to the patient’s age, condition, and serious illness, within a timeframe compatible with the patient’s state of health.
Ensure palliative support and care are accessible across the national territory and distributed in a way that guarantees equitable access for patients.
Respect the patient’s expressed wishes when delivering palliative support and care, including wishes expressed under the legal framework for patient consent and refusal of treatment.
Prevent, assess, and comprehensively manage physical problems in palliative care, including pain and other distressing symptoms.
Address patients’ psychological suffering and social and spiritual needs as part of palliative support and care.