Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) address the funding disparity and (b) provide additional financial support for Pendleside Hospice in Burnley.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area, but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. Pendleside Hospice in Burnley received £95,256 from the first £25 million tranche of this funding in 2024/25. It will receive £285,768 from the second £75 million tranche of funding in 2025/26.

The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.