National Campaign for Improved Hospice funding

The Iain Rennie Hospice at Home is joining the national campaign launched by Help the Hospices to draw attention of both Government and the public to the serious financial situation being faced by many hospices across the country. Over half the hospices in the country are operating this year on a deficit budget and the percentage of statutory funding that voluntary hospices receive has reduced from an average of 35% in 1997 to 28% last year. The Iain Rennie Hospice at Home will receive just 16% this year from statutory sources and will need to shoulder the additional burden of the rise in National Insurance which is estimated will add a further £11,000 to our expenditure budget.

Two Parliamentary Early Day Motions have been lodged and MPs are being urged by hospices in their constituencies to sign these. We will shortly be issuing a local press release but YOU CAN HELP BY WRITING TO YOUR MP TO ASK HIM/HER TO SIGN UP.

Early Day Motion no 1081 states the following:
That this House notes that the charity Help the Hospices have submitted an urgent proposal to the Secretary of State for Health requesting that interim hospice funding be considered as part of the Government's 2002 Spending Review pending a longer term solution based on the NICE review into supportive and palliative care; acknowledges that the proposal includes a request for the Government to fund the equivalent of the medical and nursing costs of voluntary hospices totalling £60 million and to uplift such funding on an annual basis in line with NHS funding; recognises the tremendous care given by hospices across the country to patients and their relatives; congratulates the thousands of volunteers who raise the majority of the funding for hospices; and urges the Government to view interim funding for the hospices as a priority.

To date over 110 MPs have signed this motion and just this week a further Early Day Motion has been lodged by Dr Liam Fox: EDM (1165) congratulates Help the Hospices on its proposal for the 2002 Spending Review and urges the Government to give these recommendations urgent attention.

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MP AND ASK IF HE/SHE HAS SIGNED UP
OR YOU CAN GO ONLINE TO CHECK WHETHER YOUR MP HAS SIGNED at http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/motion.html/ref=1081

Help the Hospices issued a press release to the national media last week, the text of which is copied below. The purpose of this is to publicise the issue of hospice funding in England, drawing attention to the interim funding proposal sent to Alan Milburn by Help the Hospices and the National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services. The press release refers to the Early Day Motions that have been submitted in Parliament in support of the proposal and sets out the concerns of hospices arising from the National Insurance increase announced in the Budget.

Over 100 MPs support new bid for hospice funding

Over 100 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) supporting a call made by Help the Hospices and the National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services for an extra £60 million funding from the NHS each year for charitable hospices in England.

As the contribution to hospice costs coming from the State falls from 35% in 1997 to 28% now, the EDM (1081) draws attention to the urgent need for an interim solution to hospice funding as part of the 2002 Spending Review. Tabled by David Taylor MP with cross party support, it endorses the proposal - made by all hospice care providers to Health Secretary Alan Milburn - to meet the equivalent of medical and nursing costs for charitable hospices.

David Praill, CEO of Help the Hospices commented:

"We have raised the issue of hospice funding repeatedly with Ministers and still have seen no action from Government. The recent Budget announcement pledged an increase of £5.5 billion available to the NHS in 2003/4 but none of this, so far, is allocated to hospice care. At the same time we estimate that the 1% increase to employers' National Insurance contributions will add about £2million to hospice wage bills. So it is likely that charitable hospices will be under more financial pressure and less able to provide the care for people at the end of life which commands so much support both inside and outside Parliament."

Many charitable hospices face significant funding problems brought about by a combination of factors including:

  • As a consequence of levels of state funding, needing to raise £220 million a year through local community fundraising.
  • As with other monies committed in the NHS Cancer Plan the additional £50 million funding for palliative care has not materialised at local level.
  • Only 20% of inflationary increases - like wages - being met by the NHS.
  • The proposal made by hospice charities to the Health Secretary is an interim solution to hospice funding pending the NICE review of supportive and palliative care due to report in summer 2003. The longer-term solution is for the NHS to fund 100% of core health care costs incurred by local charitable hospices.

Contact us at the Tring office if you want more information on the lobbying campaign.


Rowena Dean
Chief Executive