DHSC News: Further £25 million funding boost for hospices on top of once in a generation investment

Further £25 million funding boost for hospices on top of once in a generation investment 

At the Select Committee this morning (Wednesday 7 January), Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock confirmed that hospices across England will receive an additional £25 million in capital funding.

The cash will help deliver further upgrades to hospices across the nation, such as urgent building repairs, upgrading facilities and patient rooms, creating welcoming outdoor spaces and investing in improved IT equipment.

The latest investment brings the total funding pot provided to hospices to a significant £125 million over the past two financial years – the largest investment in a generation.

More than 170 hospices will receive a share of the additional cash – and will make sure that patients receive the highest-quality end-of-life care in comfortable, dignified surroundings.

As with the previous £100 million, the extra £25 million will be distributed in the coming weeks by Hospice UK for hospices to spend in the remainder of the financial year 2025 to 2026.

Hospices will be allocated a portion of funding and will be able to proceed with upgrades, invoicing Hospice UK once work has been completed. 

The additional investment follows the government’s commitment to a multi-year settlement of £80 million for children’s hospices over three years, providing certainty for vital services providing support for seriously ill children and families.

The government will also publish a palliative care and end of life care modern service framework (MSF) this year, which will improve access, quality and sustainability in the sector.

The MSF will be developed following engagement with the sector and will address the crucial challenges the sector has warned about, including avoidable hospital admissions, variation in local and regional provision of care in terms of both access and quality , workforce shortages and gaps in 24/7 palliative care provision.

This will put an end to the postcode lottery and making sure every patient and family receives the quality care and support they deserve.

Speaking at the Select Committee on Palliative Care, Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said:

"Palliative care, and end of Life Care, plays an essential part in our Health and Care System and it is delivered every day by GPs, district nurses, allied health professionals and social care staff in people's homes, hospitals, care homes and hospices across the UK.

"I wanted to recognise the vital importance of hospices in the broader palliative care system, which is why I'm delighted to confirm today that we are adding a further £25 million to the £100 million capital funding available for adult and children's hospices this financial year. This is in addition to our commitment in Autumn 2025 to provide approximately £80 million of revenue funding for children, and young people's hospices for the next three years.”