Hospices in Wales will receive additional funding to ensure staff receive a ‘fair salary’ and to meet the financial pressures facing the sector, the Welsh Government has announced.
A £5.5m cash injection will be given alongside a £3m uplift in recurrent hospice funding already announced in the 2025/2026 budget.
The money will be given to Wales’ 12 NHS-commissioned hospices, which include two children’s hospices.
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Matthew Brindley, policy and advocacy manager for Wales at Hospice UK, described recent years as ‘very tough’ for Welsh hospices, especially given rising costs and a growing need for end-of-life care.
‘It’s vital we continue to work together [with the government] toward a more sustainable approach to how we fund hospice care in Wales. Our population is ageing, with people’s health becoming more complex to manage,’ he said.
‘We need a strong, robust palliative and end-of-life care system and hospices in Wales are ready to play their part.’
Nursing in Practice has reported extensively on hospice funding in recent months, with many hospice’s facing potential cuts to nursing services and care following the rise to the National Insurance (NI) increases announced in the autumn budget last October.
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Employer NI contributions (NICs) were increased from 13.8% to 15% in the budget with changes expected to start from this month.
Wales health secretary, Jeremy Miles, said: ‘Hospices play a vital role in supporting families at some of the most difficult times.
‘We are committed to strengthening and improving palliative and end-of-life care to ensure everyone who needs hospice support receives dignified and personalised support outside of hospital.’
There are currently 15 independent hospices providing care in Wales, with 12 of these receiving some NHS funding via the Welsh Government.
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In England, the government has been asked to outline its ‘expectations’ for the ‘level and standard’ of palliative care that should be provided as part of the Health and Social Care Committee’s independent evaluation of palliative care services in the country.
