Thank you for contacting me about funding for hospices.
Hospices play a vital role in providing high-quality, compassionate care at the end of life, and I would like to pay tribute to their work in our local community.
However, I know that the hospice sector has been facing some major financial challenges over recent years. Sadly, this has been compounded by the Government’s decision not to exempt hospices from the rise in Employer National Insurance Contributions.
While the Government has announced investment for hospices - which will be focused on buildings - the funding will not cover the costs incurred by the rise in Employer’s National Insurance Contributions.
Hospices and palliative care charities also need clarity about longer-term funding for their services, and the Government must deliver on its commitment to shift funding from hospitals into the community.
Although the Government has also announced funding for the Children's Hospice Grant in 2025/26, it has yet to provide clarity about funding for the Grant in 2026/27, or how it will be administered.
Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are responsible for allocating this funding. Through the Health and Care Act 2022, ICBs also have a wider duty to commission palliative and end of life care services, and it is important that they give sufficient priority to meet the needs of their local populations. I am concerned the Government may remove some legal duties from ICBs and I will seek clarity about whether this will affect palliative and end of life care services.