In early 2013, an online survey of over 200 UK palliative care services published in the British Medical Journal found that most of these services were prioritizing 'community engagement' initiatives, most commonly adopting a 'compassionate community' model. Later this same year, a report released by the National Council for Palliative Care and the charity Murray Hall Community Trust, described the increasing uptake of compassionate communities by palliative care services in England. This review examines this new policy and practice development in British end-of-life care explaining its conceptual origins and describing its policy importance to current practice. Why services are increasingly turning to community partnerships and the reasons they believe that this approach might enhance the effectiveness and reach of their clinical work are described.