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Hospice Funding 2025-04-08
08 April 2025
Lead MP
Joy Morrissey
Debate Type
Adjournment Debate
Tags
NHSTaxationEmployment
Other Contributors: 8
At a Glance
Joy Morrissey raised concerns about hospice funding 2025-04-08 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
May I start by wishing you a very happy Easter, Madam Deputy Speaker, and by thanking the Clerks, the Doorkeepers and the House staff who have drawn the short straw and have to be here for the Adjournment debate at the end of the day?
I am pleased to have secured this debate on hospice funding, a topic that I know is of concern to Members from across this House. Even on the last day of term, the subject still gives pause to so many. A hospice provides a beacon of hope to so many people in their darkest times. It provides the comfort and knowledge needed at a very difficult time, and without hospice support, many would be lost. That is why, across the country, we see volunteers giving up their time and their finances to support local hospices—because, primarily, many of them are charities, although they receive some funding from the NHS. Members from across this House, from every party, believe that hospices matter.
Hospices matter because each year they support 310,000 people and 92,000 family members. Hospices matter because they are vital holistic care services for people and their loved ones at the end of life. Hospices matter because they provide crucial end-of-life and overall healthcare, relieving the pressure on the NHS. They provide both community specialist and acute care.
The hospice sector is under enormous pressure, and it faces an unprecedented challenge. The sector is caught in the triple squeeze of increased demand, increased cost and uncertain funding. Only the Government have the power to change that squeeze. Only the Government can eliminate the increased cost or create more certain funding.
I am pleased to have secured this debate on hospice funding, a topic that I know is of concern to Members from across this House. Even on the last day of term, the subject still gives pause to so many. A hospice provides a beacon of hope to so many people in their darkest times. It provides the comfort and knowledge needed at a very difficult time, and without hospice support, many would be lost. That is why, across the country, we see volunteers giving up their time and their finances to support local hospices—because, primarily, many of them are charities, although they receive some funding from the NHS. Members from across this House, from every party, believe that hospices matter.
Hospices matter because each year they support 310,000 people and 92,000 family members. Hospices matter because they are vital holistic care services for people and their loved ones at the end of life. Hospices matter because they provide crucial end-of-life and overall healthcare, relieving the pressure on the NHS. They provide both community specialist and acute care.
The hospice sector is under enormous pressure, and it faces an unprecedented challenge. The sector is caught in the triple squeeze of increased demand, increased cost and uncertain funding. Only the Government have the power to change that squeeze. Only the Government can eliminate the increased cost or create more certain funding.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
First, I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this debate forward. She is absolutely right to highlight the work of hospices, but also all those groups that raise money for hospices, so that they can do their work.
Warinder Juss
Lab
Wolverhampton West
Will the hon. Lady join me in commending Compton Care hospice in my constituency? The hospice, which I visited recently, does great work raising funds, and it really welcomed the £100 million support provided by this Government.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. We should not just complain about this terrible new tax that is being applied to hospices, but point out to the Minister that the return on taxpayers’ investment in what hospices spend on the dying is very great indeed.
Rachael Maskell
Lab/Co-op
York Central
The hon. Member is making a powerful speech. I have steered the palliative care commission for the past six months, and the one thing that has become crystal clear in our minds is that the fundamental funding model is completely broken; it is not fit for purpose.
Rachael Maskell
Lab
Ynys Môn
Advocates for better advance care planning, suggesting that money currently spent on secondary care could be reallocated to the hospice sector and community provision.
Stephen Kinnock
Lab
Blaenau Gwent
Supports the lead MP's concerns about funding disparities and highlights the need for a left shift in NHS funding priorities towards primary care, community care, and palliative care to address current challenges.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Asks if it was the Government's intention to impose an additional tax on hospices through ENICs, questioning whether this is an unintended consequence of recent policy changes.
The hon. Member echoed the concerns raised by her colleague in Beaconsfield, noting similar issues in their constituency and emphasising the need for timely infrastructure upgrades in local hospices.
Government Response
I thank the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Joy Morrissey) for securing this important debate. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who work or volunteer in the hospice and palliative care sector for the care and support that they provide to patients, families and loved ones when they need it most. The Minister acknowledges the financial pressures faced by hospices and stresses that the Government has announced the biggest investment in hospice care in England in a generation. A £100 million capital funding boost is provided to adult and children’s hospices, with an initial tranche of £25 million already released. An additional £75 million will be allocated in 2025-26 for much-needed improvements such as refurbishments and IT system upgrades.
Furthermore, the Government provides £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices through ICBs. The Minister outlines measures to address unwarranted variation in access to palliative care, including statutory guidance, service specifications, and a dashboard to track local population needs and fund distribution fairly.
The Minister also addresses concerns about employer national insurance contributions (ENICs) levied on health and care sectors excluding the NHS payroll. He clarifies that decisions on ENICs were made with knowledge of deep fiscal challenges and acknowledges stakeholder engagement, welcoming a roundtable discussion to ensure long-term sector sustainability. On the other questions asked by the hon. Member for Beaconsfield, the funding has gone through Hospice UK, so it is not direct funding in that sense. Hospice UK has kindly co-ordinated the process because it is extremely well informed about which hospices across the country have opportunities to upgrade their infrastructure, whether that be IT infrastructure, refurbishment or whatever it might be. It has reviewed those proposals, worked at tremendous pace and, as a result, we have managed to deliver the entire £25 million of the first tranche. We are now working closely with Hospice UK on the £75 million and I am confident that that money will be out of the door and into hospices in very quick time this year, based on the outstanding performance on the first £25 million tranche. I therefore hope the hon. Lady will be reassured on that point.
In closing, I hope that we at least have a consensus on the vital importance of hospices. The Government are committed to working at pace to ensure that we secure a sustainability and solidity for the sector going forward. I thank the hon. Member for Beaconsfield once again for securing this important debate. I also thank and wish everybody in this Chamber all the very best for the recess, and I look forward to seeing them all on the other side.
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