Government announce children's hospice funding
Andy's Children's Hospice is amongst the children's and young people's hospices in England set to receive a share of almost £80 million in government funding over three years.
This is expected to account for between around 25 and 30% of the annual expenditure of the children's services at St Andrew's Hospice, which provide care for children, young people and families living with life limiting illness across Lincolnshire, Hull and East Riding.
The multi-year revenue funding builds on the government's £100 million investment in hospices – the largest in a generation – and will allow compassionate care to continue to be provided for thousands of children and their loved ones across the country. This funding will be adjusted for inflation and distributed through local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), on behalf of NHS England.
Around 99,000 children across the UK are living with life-limiting conditions – such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, brain or spinal injuries – a number that has tripled in the last 20 years. Hospices provide care, support and wraparound services for children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
This commitment for the remainder of this Parliament gives children’s hospices certainty so they can plan ahead and continue to deliver high-quality, compassionate care to children with life-limiting conditions and their families during some of the most challenging times in their lives.
As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, the government will shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive more personalised care in the most appropriate setting. The palliative and end-of-life care sector, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift.
Lucy Williamson, Head of Children's Services at St Andrew's Hospice, said:
"We very much welcome the news of the government’s investment in children’s hospices, which will support the care we provide children and young people across Lincolnshire, Hull and the East Riding. The funding we receive will account for between 25 and 30% of our children’s services expenditure, which provides some certainty in what are very uncertain times for the hospice sector.
"We value the continued support of our community as we work hard to meet the shortfall, enabling us to continue to make each day count for children and families with life limiting illnesses across our region."
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said:
“Children's hospices provide invaluable support to children, families and loved ones facing unimaginable challenges.
“Through this funding we are making sure hospices can continue delivering invaluable, compassionate, and high-quality care to children and their families – and ending the cliff edge of short-sighted, annual funding cycles – providing certainty for children’s hospices, but crucially for those they care for.
“Having witnessed firsthand the extraordinary impact of Noah's Ark, I am determined that children receive the excellent, wraparound care they deserve."
The revenue funding will be adjusted for inflation and distributed via Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), on behalf of NHS England. It is intended to be spent by hospices to provide high-quality care and support for the children and families they care for, either in the hospice or in the community, including in children's homes.
They could use this funding to provide respite care for children who have high health needs, physiotherapy or occupational therapy, or 24/7 nursing support for a child at the end of their life.
Distributing funding through ICBs will help ensure there is a more consistent national approach, helping to end the postcode lottery of funding for palliative care services and meeting the needs of local populations across the country.
Nick Carroll, Chief Executive of Together for Short Lives, said:
“I warmly welcome this news and thank ministers for listening to families of seriously ill children and those who provide them with the children’s hospice services they rely on.
“Children’s hospices are amazing and create precious moments of joy for seriously ill children and their families. As demand for this lifeline care grows in both volume and complexity, children’s hospices are providing more support than ever before.
“Maintaining and increasing this funding over three years will help to bring some clarity and reassurance to children’s hospices, helping them to plan and deliver care over a longer period. Above all, it will help ensure seriously ill children and their families can continue to access vital hospice care beyond 2025/26.
“I look forward to continuing to work with ministers to make sure children’s hospices are in a position to play a full role in realising the shifts in healthcare set out in the government’s 10 Year Plan. Together, it’s vital that we shape a palliative care delivery plan which means seriously ill children can access high quality, sustainable support in hospital, in the community and in children’s hospices.”
Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said:
“This is a welcome and significant first step to placing the children's hospice sector on a sustainable footing. The stability provided by a multi-year settlement will have a real impact on the care children’s hospices provide and the families they support.
“We look forward to working with the government on long-term reforms which are essential to safeguarding all hospice services and ensuring they can play their role in the shift towards more care delivered in the community.”