27
Rejected
The Department and NHS England stressed how hospices’ positioning within communities supports the development of...
Conclusion
The Department and NHS England stressed how hospices’ positioning within communities supports the development of neighbourhood health services that the NHS 10-year plan is promoting. Hospices are increasingly supporting wider community services, such as care homes and general practice.61 Hospices are leading the move to providing more palliative care in the community and in the settings where people want it.62 We heard from Baroness Finlay and Hospice UK how hospices’ independence enables them to develop and innovate models of care delivery in ways the NHS cannot do so readily.63 Hospice Collaborations
Government Response Summary
The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's observation. However, it states it is working with the independent hospice sector, considering high-potential innovation within the Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF), and providing significant capital and revenue funding to hospices.
Government Response
Rejected
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. The government and NHS England are working closely with Hospice UK, Marie Curie, Sue Ryder and Together for Short Lives to ensure the views of hospices are gathered and considered at every stage of the MSF development. Furthermore, the MSF will also consider high-potential innovation, where we anticipate significant progress being possible in the next ten years and an account of how we plan to work with others, including the independent hospice sector, to develop, adopt and spread innovation. The MSF will support the shift to the strategic commissioning, based on the integrated needs assessment completed by the ICB which focuses on the needs of patients, rather than providers. This supports the move to services, including those provided by hospices, being effectively commissioned and contracted at a local level to meet identified population needs now and in the future. The MSF will provide direction on the evidenced-based interventions that improve outcomes for patients, families and carers. Value for money will be an important consideration in the inclusion of the evidence-based interventions that will support the effective use of resources. Furthermore, the government is supporting the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices, to ensure the best physical environment for care, and are also providing around £80 million revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
73rd Report - Financial sustainability of adult hospices in England
18 Mar 2026
HC 1236
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
0.4 yrs
Report published
18 Mar 2026