Stephen Kinnock

The right hon. Lady is absolutely right: funding that is earmarked for palliative care must go to palliative care. There is statutory guidance from the NHS, and it is vital that we continue to liaise with ICBs from the centre, to ensure that the allocated funding goes where it needs to go. If she is aware of cases in which that funding is not going where it should go, she should make representations; I am happy to receive a letter from her on the issue. The amount of funding that each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. That funding will vary depending on demand in an ICB area, but will also depend on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, in each ICB area. There are inequalities in access to hospice services, especially for those living in rural or socio- economically deprived areas. That is why including hospices as part of a system-wide approach is so important. I understand that charitable hospices value their independence and autonomy, which allow them the freedom to provide services beyond the statutory offer, which is one of the wonderful parts of hospice care. That independence also gives a sense of shared purpose, in which the community cares for the hospice, and in turn the hospice cares for the community and is something to be cherished. That is indicative of the compassion that is found in hospices and communities all over the country. In addition to ICB funding, at a national level, NHS England has supported palliative and end of life care for children and young people through the children and young people’s hospice grant, totalling £25 million in ’23-24. While ’23-24 marked the final year of the grant in its previous format, in ’24-25 NHS England continued to provide £25 million of funding for children and young people’s hospices. A prevalence-based model is used for that funding, which supports the move away from a traditional model of bed-based funding, better reflecting population needs. In ’24-25, that funding was transacted by ICBs on behalf of NHS England for the first time, rather than being centrally administered. I am aware that the shift to an ICB-transacted model for ’24-25 has not been as smooth a transition as we in the Department certainly would have hoped. We are working closely with NHS England to resolve any remaining issues with the ’24-25 funding, and to learn from what did not work so well this year. We, alongside NHS England, absolutely recognise the importance of sustainable funding for the palliative and end of life care sector, including hospices, and we will consider the future of children’s hospice funding in the context of Budget discussions. I have absolutely heard the representations by hon. Members on both sides of the Chamber today about the need for the Government to maintain the £25-million grant, and I assure hon. Members that I am working very closely with NHS England to get that confirmed as a matter of urgency.