Hospices will share a £126m cash windfall after decades of underfunding (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
The announcement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of £26million extra funding for children’s hospices will be hugely welcomed by hospices, their staff and by the communities they support.
The Government has recognised the very real financial strain that adult and children’s hospices have been under for some time. The additional support will ease that strain significantly.
It will allow investment in the future of our services, and allow hospices in England to continue to reach hundreds of thousands of people with high-quality, compassionate care in the right environment.
The additional funding announced for children’s hospices will bring clarity to critically important services for children with life-limiting illnesses.
The funding will not only benefit patients but also the wider health and social care system. Hospices will play a big role in the Government’s aim to move care out of hospitals and into the community. Our services prevent people from dying in hospital when they do not want or need to be there.
They also prevent unnecessary and stressful visits to emergency departments for people in their final weeks and months.
We look forward to continuing to work with the Government through the ten year plan to improve the provision of palliative and end of life care. Hospices are ready to do all we can in the coming years to make sure everyone gets the care and support they need at the end of life.