Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in demand for hospice care due to delays in the diagnosis of terminal illnesses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps are they taking to address that increase.

No specific assessment has been made. The Department has been working with NHS England and NHS Improvement to monitor the availability and use of hospice capacity since April.

We are aware of an overall increase in demand, but it is currently too early and complex to provide detailed information on how much, if any, is currently due to delays in diagnosis.

Since April, the hospice sector has worked hard to re-design service in response to the pandemic by shutting day services that cannot run in line with COVID-19 guidance and increasing community services, enabling an overall increase in available capacity.

We regularly assess the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the hospice sector, and through NHS England and NHS Improvement are in regular discussions with stakeholders in the sector about the challenges they face. We continue to keep the situation under review as further information becomes available.