Hospice and Palliative Care

Jonathan Brash Excerpts

Monday 13th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)]

Hartlepool is incredibly lucky to be served by an amazing institution—one that has touched the lives of so many in our town. Alice House hospice and the brilliant people who work there, like hospices across the country, provide essential support to those in their final stages of life, ensuring that they receive the dignity and care they deserve.

The stark reality, though, is that Alice House alone requires £3.6 million each year to operate, with only 25% of that money coming from the Government. That means it has to raise £7,000 a day just to keep the doors open and to provide services. Any additional work beyond ordinary maintenance comes at an extra cost. As we have heard, that is a situation mirrored across the country. Dignity at end of life should not rely on charity. Rising costs and inconsistent financial support have left many hospitals struggling, forcing them to cut back their services. Indeed, Hospice UK reports that as many as 20% of hospices were cutting some level of provision, fuelling a bed crisis. Sadly, that was the case for Alice House when it closed its long-term care unit in 2023.

I welcome the Labour Government’s recognition of this financial crisis and its backing through the £126 million announced in December. While that support is welcome, we cannot be complacent. We need to ensure that the 10-year NHS plan includes long-term commitments to reforming the hospice funding model. That is essential not just to prevent another funding crisis, but to ensure that hospices can provide the essential care on which our communities rely. The need for palliative care is projected to increase by 25% over the next 25 years. We must therefore act now to ensure that our hospices can meet demand. They are not just places of care, but vital support systems that relieve pressure on our NHS, providing specialised care and training to health professionals across the board. When hospices are forced to cut services, the need for care does not disappear. It shifts directly on to our already overburdened NHS.

Life has a tendency to shape and focus one’s attention on the issues in this place. My father has Alzheimer’s. Although he is currently very well, I know that our family—me, him and my wonderful mother—are going to face a difficult future. We have a responsibility now to fix that future for everybody who will need that care in the future, and I hope that is what the Government will do.