Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide multi-year funding settlements for children's hospices in (a) Kent and (b) England after this financial year.
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 are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. Two children’s hospices based in Kent, Demelza Hospice and Ellenor Hospice, are receiving £1,750,000 and £189,000 respectively.
I am currently having discussions with NHS England and Department officials about the funding arrangements for children and young people’s hospices throughout England beyond 2025/26. We hope to be able to provide further communication on this later this autumn.
The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.