This presentation described what is meant by palliative care, and considered how policies such as the End of Life Strategy, National Dementia Strategy and workstream under the NHS next stage review provide changes and opportunities in service development. However, attention was also given to the dominance of cancer patients in the uptake of palliative care services. This may present present for black and minority ethnic communities since trends suggest that they are more likely to require palliative care for non- cancer diagnoses. Particular race equality issues were highlighted including difficulties in accessing services; the cultural competency of services; and limitations in understanding palliative care services amongst black and minority ethnic patients. Finally, the presentation proposed that more evidence was needed to show how ethnicity affects illness and care choices.