Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the funding model for hospices.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for determining the level of National Health Service-funded palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, locally, and they are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population. As part of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government added palliative care services to the list of services an ICB must commission, which will ensure a more consistent national approach, and support commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care.

The majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services. However, we also recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in providing support to people at end of life, and their families. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding hospices receive is dependent on many factors, including what other statutory services are available within the ICB footprint. Charitable hospices provide a range of services which go beyond that which statutory services are legally required to provide. Consequently, the funding arrangements reflect this.

The Department, alongside key partners, and NHS England will continue to engage with stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face, including that of future funding pressures. The Department is in ongoing discussions with NHS England about oversight and accountability of National Health Service palliative and end of life care commissioning.

The Government recognises the difficult economic context that organisations such as hospices face, which is why we made the decision to provide additional funding to help deliver non-consolidated pay awards to eligible staff employed by non-NHS organisations, including some hospices. Funding has been made available for over 27,000 staff in non-NHS organisations to receive the two non-consolidated awards agreed as part of the Agenda for Change pay deal. Eligible organisations will receive their funding as soon as practically possible, following the receipt of their invoice.