Asked by: Chris Clarkson (Conservative - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to provide all (a) hospice patients and (b) next of kin with written guidance on the possible (i) effects and (ii) outcomes of medications used in end-of-life care.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidelines on end of life care for adults and care of dying adults in the last days of life. This guidance covers topics such as communication, shared decision-making, and pharmacological interventions.
Ensuring patients, and those important to them, are fully informed regarding their care, including medications, is the responsibility of individual staff and provider organisations. NICE guidance and quality standards, the Ambitions Framework, NHS England’s Palliative and End of Life Care Statutory Guidance for Integrated Care Boards and Care Quality Commission inspection key lines of enquiry all support this by emphasising the needs for individualised care and communication. NHS England also published an Accessible Information Standard to promote the provision of information in a way that meets the needs of each individual.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that levels of funding for hospices adequately take into account variations in (a) service provision and (b) regional need.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While the National Health Service has been required to commission appropriate palliative and end of life care services to meet the reasonable needs of the population, as part of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government added palliative care services to the list of services an integrated care board must commission, to clarify this responsibility.
NHS England has actively increased its support to local commissioners to improve the accessibility, quality and sustainability of palliative and end of life care for all. This has included the publication of statutory guidance and service specifications.
NHS England is investing £25 million in the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant this year, to provide care closer to home for those seriously ill as and when they need it. NHS England has now confirmed that it will be renewing the grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million grant funding for children’s hospices. NHS England will confirm the funding mechanism and individual hospice allocations in due course.
The Government, alongside key partners, NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues they face.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
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 help support the hospice movement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While the National Health Service has been required to commission appropriate palliative and end of life care services to meet the reasonable needs of the population, as part of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government added palliative care services to the list of services an integrated care board must commission, to clarify this responsibility.
NHS England has actively increased its support to local commissioners to improve the accessibility, quality and sustainability of palliative and end of life care for all. This has included the publication of statutory guidance and service specifications.
NHS England is investing £25 million in the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant this year, to provide care closer to home for those seriously ill as and when they need it. NHS England has now confirmed that it will be renewing the grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million grant funding for children’s hospices. NHS England will confirm the funding mechanism and individual hospice allocations in due course.
The Government, alongside key partners, NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues they face.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the settlement decision of NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board not to grant additional funding to hospices on (a) patient care and (b) the financial sustainability of those hospices.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. The Government and NHS England recognises the importance of palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.
With increasing costs and pressures and operational planning requirements from NHS England to reduce overspends, Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has had to prioritise and focus funding on maintaining core services in the National Health Service.
As part of this review of spending, a decision has been made to not financially uplift the funding to voluntary sector contracts in Lancashire and South Cumbria, and this includes hospices. The ICB has not cut its funding to the hospices and recognises the essential work they do to support local communities. However, the ICB has not at this stage in the year been able to allocate any inflationary uplift to the contracts.
Discussions are ongoing and there are plans for the ICB to meet with the Lancashire and South Cumbria hospice leaders to discuss further.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the budgetary settlement by the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board for hospices.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. The Government and NHS England recognises the importance of palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.
With increasing costs and pressures and operational planning requirements from NHS England to reduce overspends, Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has had to prioritise and focus funding on maintaining core services in the National Health Service.
As part of this review of spending, a decision has been made to not financially uplift the funding to voluntary sector contracts in Lancashire and South Cumbria, and this includes hospices. The ICB has not cut its funding to the hospices and recognises the essential work they do to support local communities. However, the ICB has not at this stage in the year been able to allocate any inflationary uplift to the contracts.
Discussions are ongoing and there are plans for the ICB to meet with the Lancashire and South Cumbria hospice leaders to discuss further.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timescale is for making a decision on whether to continue the NHS England Children's Hospice grant after the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative and end of life care is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population.
NHS England and the Government are committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. Internal discussions regarding the future of the Children’s Hospice Grant beyond 2023/24 are ongoing, and NHS England is aiming to communicate details in the coming weeks, as soon as is practically possible.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to continue the NHS England Children's Hospice grant beyond the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative and end of life care is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population.
NHS England and the Government are committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. Internal discussions regarding the future of the Children’s Hospice Grant beyond 2023/24 are ongoing, and NHS England is aiming to communicate details in the coming weeks, as soon as is practically possible.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the delivery of inflation related uplifts to statutory contracts with the independent hospice sector.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. The Government recognises the importance of palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.
Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that remain free to set salary rates along with other terms and conditions at a level that reflects the skills and experience of their staff.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential support required by hospices for staffing costs in the next 12 months.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. The Government recognises the importance of palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.
Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that remain free to set salary rates along with other terms and conditions at a level that reflects the skills and experience of their staff.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy in the level of funding for staff in hospices.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. The Government recognises the importance of palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.
Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that remain free to set salary rates along with other terms and conditions at a level that reflects the skills and experience of their staff.