Matters of care and the good death - rhetoric or reality?

Purpose of review: The notion of a 'good death' is central to hospice and palliative care philosophy. This review interrogates social imaginaries of the 'good death' in the context of current global, health and sociopolitical challenges.

Recent findings: Research literature and policy documents across fields continue to place emphasis on the 'good death'. As part of the equity turn in palliative care, there is a growing body of work highlighting the diverse perspectives of people whose voices were heretofore not understood. Inequities are evident not only in terms of who has access to a 'good death' but also related to the effects of the dominant 'good death' script itself.

Summary: There is increasing evidence that pursuit of the 'good death' narrative may be counter to supporting people as they are living and dying. The authors instead argue for a research, policy and practice shift to 'matters of care'.