Don’t Nix Care: Protecting Our Hospices

Submitted by: 11 party members
Mover: Alison Bennett MP (Spokesperson for Care and Carers).
Summation: Cllr Simon McGrath.

Conference notes that:

1. Hospices support 300,000 people every year, allowing patients to die with dignity while easing pressure on the NHS by avoiding unnecessary and expensive hospital stays.
2. It costs £1.6 billion annually to run hospices across the UK, yet most rely heavily on charitable donations, with only a third of funding typically coming from the NHS.
3. In 2024, one in five hospices were forced to cut services, amid a funding crisis.
4. The recent rise in Employer National Insurance Contributions has cost hospices in England as much as £34 million per year, placing even greater strain on a sector already on the brink.
5. 100,000 people a year are estimated to miss out on hospice care and face dying in discomfort at home or in hospital.
6. Only a third of local areas in England are meeting the required standard for 24/7 end–of–life care for children and young people at home.
7. Hospices provide vital bereavement services, including psychological support, which are overwhelmingly reliant on charitable funding.
8. With the annual number of deaths projected to grow to 780,000 by 2040, demand for hospice care is only increasing.
9. An ageing population means more people are living with complex, long–term conditions such as dementia, which require specialist care.

Conference believes that:

1. All hospices should be properly resourced to meet NHS standards and provide the best possible care for patients and their families.
2. Funding cuts and years of neglect under the previous Conservative Government have led to a reduction in services, with hospices and end of life charities now unable to cover the difference.
3. The Government’s decision to vote against the Liberal Democrat amendment exempting health and care providers from increases in Employer National Insurance Contributions has only increased the financial strain the hospice sector is under.
4. The postcode lottery of palliative care must end, especially for children’s care. Everyone should have access to high–quality care regardless of where they live so that their choices at the end of life are genuine and free from fear.
5. Failure to support hospices will mean yet more pressure will be piled onto our already overstretched NHS.
6. The Government’s announcement to increase capital spend for hospices in December 2024 was welcome but not sufficient to prevent hospices from struggling financially.

Conference reaffirms calls to:

1. Provide a fair funding deal for hospices, including children’s hospices, recognising the valuable services they provide and saving money on hospital admissions.
2. Double the funding for Bereavement Support Payments, reversing the last Conservative Government’s cuts since 2017.

Conference calls on the Government to:

1. Exempt hospices from the April increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions to prevent devastating cuts to vital services.
2. Set up a commission and work with providers to develop a plan to put hospices on a sustainable, fair, and consistent financial footing.
3. End the postcode lottery of palliative care by allocating funding by demand so that areas that struggle to attract charitable funding are properly supported to deliver high-quality care no matter where they operate.
4. Develop a dedicated hospice workforce plan to cut vacancy rates as soon as possible to ensure providers can deliver services for all those in need.
5. Develop a national strategy to improve the integration of hospice services with the wider health and social care system.
6. Produce clear legal advice on the use of analgesics at the end of life.
7. Work with hospices to improve access to bereavement counselling and therapy for anyone needing support from the point of a loved one’s diagnosis.
8. Work with hospices to deliver greater support with practical tasks after a death, and consult with the sector on how to improve minimum standards for death administration processes, including ways of improving and expanding the ‘Tell us Once’ service.

Applicability: England except for b) (lines 51–52) and 1. (lines 54–56) which are Federal.

Mover: 5 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see pages 6-7 of the agenda. You can submit a speaker's card online here from Monday 15 September up to 15.25 Saturday 20 September or in person.

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 8 September; you can submit amendments online here, see pages 9–10 of the agenda for more information. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday’s Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Thursday 18 September; you can request separate votes here, see page 5 of the agenda for more information.