Children’s Hospices South-east England 2025-10-16

Opened the debate

I wholeheartedly welcome the Government's announcement of £80 million support for children's hospices over three years. However, providers tell me that this funding does not solve the crisis nor put hospices on a sustainable footing. Children’s hospices in the south-east support thousands of seriously ill babies, children and young people with end-of-life care services doubling since 2019 and symptom management surging by 108%. Hospices are struggling to keep their doors open due to inflation and rising costs, exacerbated by the national insurance hike. Funding from integrated care boards remains lower than three years ago, causing hospices to dip into reserves. The funding announcement will only slow rate of cuts, not solve issues. I urge Minister to fix commissioning system, tackle workforce shortages and invest in training for paediatric palliative medicine.

Government Response

I thank Alison Bennett for securing the debate. Government aims to ensure high-quality care for every child, irrespective of condition or location. ICBs commission palliative and end-of-life care services based on local needs. NHS England provides guidance and a dashboard to help commissioners understand local data. Recognising hospices’ vital role, we are providing £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, with over £28 million going to London and the south-east. For 2025-26, we provide £26 million revenue funding to children's hospices. This funding will continue for next three years of spending review period, amounting to at least £78 million over three years. By doing this, we are promoting a more consistent national approach and supporting commissioners to prioritise local population needs. Government’s commitment recognises the need for long-term planning for children's hospices, providing greater certainty and stability. We have provided a three-year funding commitment for children’s hospices, which will help provide stability and certainty in planning staffing and services. Although the funding is important, there are significant opportunities for reform around early identification of palliative care needs and improving the interface between hospitals, hospices, and primary care through our neighbourhood health strategy. The Department and NHS England are working to improve access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end-of-life care services. We are investing £3 million in a policy research unit focused on palliative and end-of-life care, aiming to reduce regional variations and inequalities. Our plans reassure stakeholders of the Government’s commitment to building a sustainable palliative care sector for the long term.