We warmly welcome the long-awaited announcement from the Government on 19 December of £100 million funding for hospices in England.
This additional one-off funding illustrates the Government’s commitment to the hospice sector, particularly during this immensely challenging financial climate and we are grateful to them and to Hospice UK for their hard work in reaching agreement.
The Government clearly recognises the vital role played by all hospices in the local health system and the huge financial strain we are under, but this new grant will be ringfenced for capital projects only and does not address the need for sustainable funding for the vital clinical services we provide on an ongoing basis.
We look forward to continuing working in partnership with our South West London ICB colleagues and with the Government in 2025 to reach a long term and maintainable funding agreement that realistically covers vital operational costs, both for St Raphael’s and the whole hospice sector.