Access to palliative care is unequally distributed across Sweden and thus does not meet the needs. The holistic perspective of palliative care is sometimes contrasted with the usual medical focus on organ failure and disease. Palliative consultation teams provide specialist palliative care competencies for staff caring for patients in primary care, nursing homes and in hospitals. Efforts to increase knowledge and skills in palliative care is needed at undergraduate university level and through postgraduate and specialist training. Well organized cooperation between municipalities, county councils and primary care is crucial for patients in the final stages of life.