# King's College London estimates unmet care needs in nearly one in three deaths in England

- Published: 2026-11-12 04:03 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: unmet care needs England, end-of-life care, palliative care, 170,000 people a year, unmet need 2050 projection, bereavement survey, family caregivers, symptom relief, King's College London research
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-857bdd1e7ed8055021b06fd5_king_s_college/

**Researchers estimate that around 170,000 people a year in England reach the end of life without all the care they need. By 2050 the figure could reach 212,000 if current patterns continue.**

![King's College London estimates unmet care needs in nearly one in three deaths in England](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/d9e11ef2c7388a85.jpg)
*Velvet, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

Researchers at King's College London and Hull York Medical School, with contributions from the University of Edinburgh, estimate that around 170,000 people a year in England reach the end of life without all the care they need, according to knowridge.com. [1] This is almost one in three people who die in England. [1] Their final days may involve uncontrolled symptoms, distress or difficulty getting support from primary care. [1]

## Scale of unmet need

The estimate does not mean that every person in it received no care at all. Someone can receive substantial medical treatment and still lack effective pain relief, help at night or support for a frightened family member. [1] Palliative care addresses pain and other symptoms, emotional concerns and the needs of families.

The researchers also looked ahead. If the underlying pattern continues as the population changes, unmet need could rise by about 21% by 2050, and more than 212,000 people a year in England could then die with needs unaddressed. [1] These are population estimates and projections, not a count of every person whose care failed. Actual future numbers will depend partly on how services develop.

## What families reported

Related research published in Journal of Health Services Research & Policy examined what families said about end-of-life care in England and Wales. It analyzed written accounts from a nationally representative bereavement survey. Of 1,194 respondents, 1,083 provided at least one written response. [1]

Families described problems obtaining care, delays, poor coordination and the strain of navigating services while looking after someone who was dying. [1] The accounts also showed what worked: responsive symptom relief, clear communication and professionals who listened. Families valued being included in decisions and having care adapted to the person's needs. [1]

The authors note the limits of this evidence. The survey concerned selected deaths and depended on relatives choosing to respond after bereavement, so it cannot establish the quality of every service. The findings suggest that access alone is only part of the task. Care also needs to arrive in time, continue across different services and include a clear route to help when a person's condition changes outside normal working hours. The research points to specific problems for health services, from coordinating visits and medicines to ensuring that families know whom to contact when symptoms worsen.

## Sources

1. [knowridge.com](https://knowridge.com/2026/11/nearly-one-in-three-deaths-in-england-involve-unmet-care-needs)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-857bdd1e7ed8055021b06fd5_king_s_college/