Assisted dying: we need universal access to palliative care first

Etkind is right to emphasize the importance of access to good palliative care for all dying people. But it is important to remember that the vast majority of good palliative care in the UK is delivered by GPs and district nurses and in secondary care. I cannot believe that there is a single GP in the United Kingdom who does not have access to a telephone and thereby to be able to discuss complex problems of a dying patient with a consultant in palliative medicine where they felt this was warranted. Not every patient needs, or even wants, to be admitted to a hospice.