Children’s Hospices: Funding

Ms Bennett highlighted the plight of children's hospices in the UK, citing the case of Chestnut Tree House Children's Hospice in Arundel. She expressed concern over the total dependence on fundraising and raised issues such as unequal access to 24/7 end-of-life care and significant disparities in funding per patient among different regions. She mentioned that only 31% of integrated care boards could confirm how many children accessed hospice care, indicating a lack of transparency.

He expressed support for Acorns Children's Hospice in his constituency and highlighted the importance of its work. He urged the Minister to protect and maintain the children's hospice grant, ensuring that it is ringfenced and increased annually by at least inflation rates for five years.

Ms Caroline Johnson highlighted the importance of children's hospices for families dealing with life-limiting illnesses, noting that there are now 99,000 seriously ill children in the UK. She expressed concern over rising costs faced by hospices and called for increased funding to ensure all children have access regardless of location. Ms Johnson also questioned the current ICBs allocation process for hospice grants, urging the Government to consider national commissioning given the nature of these services.

He agreed that community funding should complement, not replace, Government funding for hospice services.

Iqbal Mohamed noted that more than half of children's hospices in the UK reported deficits in 2023-24, with nearly three-quarters forecasting a net deficit for 2024-25. He highlighted the crucial role played by Forget Me Not Children's Hospice in Kirklees and warned that losing NHS grant funding would lead to service cuts, impacting seriously ill children and their families.

He expressed concern about the postcode lottery for palliative care in Sussex, where only a third of local areas meet required standards. He highlighted that Sussex's population of nearly 442,500 children includes approximately 67 out of every 10,000 requiring specialist palliative care, but many families face inadequate support due to funding and workforce shortages.

Reynolds discussed the essential role of children's hospices, highlighting the financial strain they face with increased costs and reduced funding from ICBs and local authorities. He cited Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service in Maidenhead as an example, noting its provision of 18,000 hours of care last year while relying heavily on donations.

Thanks the hon. Member and congratulates Liverpool on securing nearly £5 million for Zoe's Place, while suggesting that charitable trusts should not be relied upon to support children's hospices and advocating for statutory funding.

Congratulates the hon. Member on securing a debate and highlights Claire House's essential role in health and social care, advocating for equitable access to palliative care despite variations in integrated care board funding across England.

Congratulates the hon. Member on securing the debate, recognising the value of Martin House Children's Hospice in Leeds, and expresses admiration for Liverpool's fundraising efforts which have inspired support for full funding for palliative care.

The MP discussed the challenges faced by Shooting Star CHASE hospice, which serves 14 London boroughs. She pointed out that due to the dispersed nature of families served, any integrated care board can ignore their small numbers. McDonagh advocated for maintaining central funding for children's hospices and urged the Minister to consider including palliative care in the NHS's 10-year plan.

Tim Farron highlighted the financial strain on children's hospices, citing Jigsaw in Cumbria as an example. He mentioned that nearly 3,500 people aged 0 to 24 with life-limiting conditions rely on the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and over 6,000 on the North Cumbria ICB. Farron pointed out that without proper funding, hospices like Jigsaw struggle due to rising costs such as inflation and energy bills.

The MP expressed concern about the financial difficulties faced by children's hospices, citing Julia's House in her constituency as an example. She highlighted that only 8% of its funding comes from the NHS and that end-of-life care costs three times more than usual per-child funding. Slade emphasized the need for long-term guaranteed funding to support families with children facing life-shortening illnesses.

She paid tribute to the work of Acorns hospice in Walsall and highlighted the need for sustainable NHS England funding. She mentioned that it costs around £11 million annually for Acorns to run its services, with only a small percentage funded by government, stressing the importance of maintaining and increasing the existing £25 million NHS England funding. Ms Wendy Morton intervened to express concern that funding through ICBs could pit one healthcare sector against another, suggesting a need for assurance that children's hospices will receive the necessary support.

She emphasised the importance of providing central funding for palliative care across the UK, suggesting a need for £285 million to support hospices. She urged the Minister to include palliative care in the NHS 10-year review plan.

She visited Christopher's children's hospice and highlighted the financial challenges faced by hospices, noting that only a third of funding comes from NHS and central government. She expressed concern over delays in accessing £25 million allocated for 2024-25 and uncertainty about future funding. Franklin urged the Minister to commit to long-term centrally managed grant funding.