Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional (1) funds, and (2) equipment, they intend to provide for the hospice movement to deal with the rising death rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To support the hospice movement in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 8 April 2020 additional funding of up to £200 million for hospices as part of a wider package of £750 million for the wider voluntary and charity sector. This funding is supporting hospices by securing capacity to relieve pressure on the National Health Service as the Government manages its response to COVID-19.

The Department is also actively taking steps to ensure that staff operating in the hospice sector have access to the proper equipment, including adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), to continue to provide palliative and end of life care during this challenging period.

To address continuity of supply concerns, central delivery points provided by hospices, including children’s hospices, to the Department will get weekly drops of PPE until they can be added to the PPE e-commerce ordering portal. The Department will continue to work with the hospice sector to ensure they have the support they need during this challenging period.