MPs will consider whether funding for hospices is sufficient to meet demand. This topical session follows the committee’s major report on Assisted dying/Assisted suicide which urged the government to commit to additional funding, guaranteeing support for hospices in need. In evidence to the inquiry, the current funding model was described as ‘unsustainable’, risking hospice closures.
Hospice funding relies primarily on charitable donations, with grant-in-aid funding from the NHS and government meeting only around a third of their costs. Reforms two years ago passed the commissioning of palliative and end-of-life care mainly to Integrated Care Boards.
Children’s and other smaller hospices receive less statutory funding as a percentage of overall expenditure compared to larger adult hospices, with clinical services facing shortfalls.
Among areas the committee will consider, the current state of hospice funding and changes needed to ensure hospices can meet future demand.