Hospices: Children

(asked on 3rd September 2025) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take further steps to support children's hospices with their energy costs.


Answered by
Stephen Kinnock Portrait
Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 11th September 2025

While most palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones.

Most children’s hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS 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. We know that many hospices have chosen to use this funding on energy efficiency measures, such as boiler upgrades or solar panel installation, to reduce energy costs and improve efficiency in the longer term.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.

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