Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support hospices in Lewes constituency.

While the majority of palliative care and end-of-life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play a vital part in providing support to people at the end of their life, as well as their loved ones.

The Government is providing £125 million in capital funding for eligible adult, and children and young people’s, hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. Of this, St Peter and St James Hospice is receiving £392,580, St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne is receiving £793,464, and the Southern Hospice Group, which includes Chestnut Tree House Hospice and Martlets, is receiving £2,985,422, and together, these services support people in the Lewes constituency.

Children and young people’s hospices in England are receiving an additional £26 million in revenue funding for 2025/26, of which Chestnut Tree House will receive £713,000.

We have also recently announced the continuation of this funding, with approximately £80 million in revenue funding, to be provided over the next three years. I can confirm that Chestnut Tree House will receive £728,000 in 2026/27.

Additionally, the Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. It will drive improvements in access, quality, and sustainability, and support integrated care boards to commission high-quality, personalised care. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services, and we will also consider contracting and commissioning arrangements.