Leaders’ Policy Briefing: Key updates

England, Scotland and Wales

New entitlement to bereaved partner’s paternity leave

The government has introduced a new statutory entitlement to bereaved partner’s paternity leave, designed to support parents who lose their partner shortly after the birth or adoption of a child.

From April 2026, eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave to care for their child if the child’s mother or primary caregiver dies within the first year. The entitlement starts from the first day of employment.

To be eligible, the mother, main adopter or main intended parent of your child must have died on or after 6 April 2026. The ‘main adopter’ or ‘main intended parent’ would have been the person in an adoptive couple or surrogacy arrangement taking Adoption Leave.

You must be one of the following:

• the child’s father
• the spouse or partner of the mother
• the spouse or partner of the main adopter or intended parent

All of the following must also apply:

• your child is less than a year old – or if they’re adopted, was placed with you (or first arrived in England, Scotland or Wales) less than a year ago.
• you have the main caring responsibility for your child.
• you’re taking time off to care for your child.
• you’re classed as an employee and employed in England, Scotland or Wales.

More information about the new entitlement is here.

England

Modern Service Framework timing

Modern service framework timing

In a recorded speech to last week’s National Summit on Palliative and End of Life Care, Care Minister Stephen Kinnock reassured delegates that, despite the assisted dying legislation not reaching the statute book during the previous parliamentary session, the government is still focussed on resolving the challenges facing our sector. He said that:

– the interim report on the all-age PEoLC modern service framework (MSF) would be published very soon
– the MSF will set out performance and accountability metrics and set out how ICBs can contract PEoLC services sustainably
– the final MSF is still due in the autumn.

Officials at the summit also told delegates that:

– the UK Government will publish a new quality strategy soon
– the process of developing the PEoLC MSF moonshot is still in progress
– following the interim report, officials’ focus will be on developing the PEoLC MSF delivery and innovation plans
the themes from the evidenced interventions submitted so far focussed largely on identifying need, training and education, assessing and managing need and need for 24/7 care to be accountable and responsible.

NHS and SEND reforms set out in King’s Speech

Following on from the King’s Speech, the government has published a summary of the impact assessments for the Health Bill, setting out the policy objectives, rationale and intended impacts of the proposed legislation. According to the government, this Bill is a central part of plans to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan, addressing current pressures in the NHS while preparing for future challenges.

The proposals included in the bill focus on two overarching aims:

• Introduce a Single Patient Record (SPR) to improve safety and experience by enabling shared access to patient data across services, supporting more coordinated, personalised care, and giving both patients and clinicians better access to information.
• Shift power to frontline NHS organisations by abolishing NHS England, reducing central bureaucracy, and giving more responsibility and accountability to local services.

These reforms will see ICBs take on a stronger strategic commissioning role, with closer alignment to local government and greater emphasis on patient voice. They will also see Foundation Trusts gain increased freedoms (including financial flexibility and investment powers) alongside stronger national oversight and safeguards.

Overall, the bill is intended to:

• Create a more integrated and data‑driven NHS, improving coordination across services.
• Enable more personalised and joined‑up care, particularly for patients with complex needs.
• Support earlier intervention and prevention, helping people stay well for longer.
• Strengthen the role of local decision‑making in designing services around population need.
• Deliver improved patient outcomes and experience, alongside better value for the public purse

New plan for children’s social care

The government has published its implementation plan for reforming children’s social care in England, setting out how it will deliver system‑wide change following recent legislation.

The plan focuses on earlier support for families, strengthening safeguarding arrangements, and improving stability for children in care. It includes measures such as introducing a single ‘Family Help’ service in every local authority, expanding multi‑agency child protection teams, and increasing support for kinship carers and care leavers.

The reforms aim to ensure more children can grow up safely within their families or in stable, supportive environments.

New national clinical standards for maternity services

On 23 April, NHS England announced new national clinical standards for maternity services, aimed at reducing maternal deaths and improving patient safety.

The measures include earlier risk assessments for serious conditions such as blood clots, improved access to specialist care for women with pre‑existing conditions, enhanced mental health support, and faster escalation of care in emergencies such as haemorrhage and sepsis.

The standards will be rolled out across all maternity services by March 2027, with increased accountability for local delivery.

Have your say on specialised commissioning

In England, specialised commissioning is undergoing significant reform. Around 70 services have already been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs), with further changes planned. Meanwhile, the abolition of NHS England will transfer national commissioning responsibilities to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Under the emerging model, commissioning will operate at three levels:

• National: highly specialised services
• Regional: across groups of ICBs, supported by Offices of Pan-ICB Commissioning (OPICs)
• Local: individual ICBs

To understand how these changes are working in practice, the Federation of Specialist Hospitals, Shelford Group, The NHS Alliance and the Specialised Healthcare Alliance have launched a new survey. Specifically, they are seeking feedback on:

• Experiences of specialised commissioning
• The delegation of services to ICBs
• Accountability, transparency and oversight
• Key risks, opportunities and future priorities

If you would like to complete the survey, you can do so here. It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and will be open until Friday 5 June 2026.

Northern Ireland

Hospices to receive £1.6m of emergency funding

On 22 May, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland announced an emergency funding package for hospices worth £1.6 million. Of this funding, the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice is set to receive £500,000.

This follows the Department of Health accepting the Health Committee’s inquiry recommendations on palliative care but previously stating that there was not enough funding available to implement them in full.

While this funding has been welcomed by the sector and will help to address immediate financial pressures, there is still more that needs to be done to secure a fair and sustainable long‑term funding model for hospice and palliative care services.

The Department of Health formally responds to the Health Committee’s inquiry on access to palliative care

On 7 May, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland formally responded to the Health Committee’s inquiry into access to palliative care services, accepting most of the recommendations (19 fully, others partially).

However, throughout its response, the department stressed that progress will be limited due to significant financial pressures. As such, while it recognised the importance of palliative care and committed to improvement, it acknowledged that implementation will take time and require prioritisation within a constrained budget.

A central issue discussed was the sustainability of hospice funding. While the Committee argued for a move to 100% public funding, the department did not commit to this. Instead, they committed to undertaking further work on costs, benchmarking and future funding models.

More broadly, members expressed frustration at the lack of clear plans and slow progress, particularly around data and policy development. Key examples given were the system-wide scoping exercise and strategy development that remain incomplete, with limited timelines for delivery. In response, the department it will produce a more detailed implementation plan.

In its response, the department also emphasised that wider system reform, particularly the shift to a neighbourhood model of care will be central to improving palliative care by supporting earlier intervention and more community-based support. Despite this, uncertainties remain about how this transition will be funded and delivered in practice.

Overall, while there is agreement on the need to improve palliative care, progress is being held back by funding constraints, lack of detailed planning, and the scale of wider system change.

You can read the full response here.

Scotland

Scottish Parliament election results

The Scottish Parliament election took place on Thursday 7 May 2026. The Scottish National Party (SNP) emerged as the largest party with 58 seats, falling short of an overall majority. Labour and Reform UK each won 17 seats, followed by the Scottish Greens (15), Conservatives (12) and Liberal Democrats (10).

Following the election, John Swinney was re‑elected as First Minister on 19 May and has formed a new Scottish Government.

A new cabinet has been appointed, with several key ministers of relevance to members. Angela Constance has been appointed Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care, and Siobhian Brown has been appointed Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise.

Health and social care were key priorities in the SNP’s policy programme, with a focus on improving NHS performance, expanding community‑based services and increasing the use of digital innovation to support more coordinated care. The government has also committed to continuing delivery of the “Palliative Care Matters for All” strategy and developing a more sustainable funding model for hospices.

Alongside this, there is a continued focus on supporting children and families, including expanding childcare provision, improving support for children with additional support needs, and developing a long‑term conditions framework.

Wales

Senedd election results

The Senedd election took place on Thursday 7 May 2026, with Plaid Cymru emerging as the largest party with 43 seats, followed by Reform UK with 34 seats. Labour won 9 seats, with the Conservatives (7), Greens (2) and Liberal Democrats (1) making up the remaining representation. No party secured the 49 seats needed for a majority, resulting in a hung parliament.

Following the election, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth was appointed First Minister on 12 May and has formed a minority Welsh Government.

A new cabinet has been established, with several key ministers relevant to the sector. Mabon ap Gwynfor has been appointed Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, supported by a Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health. Sioned Williams has been appointed Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality.

Health and social care were key issues during the election campaign. Plaid Cymru’s priorities include improving NHS performance, strengthening community‑based services and increasing workforce capacity. There is also a focus on tackling inequality and supporting families, including through expanded childcare provision and measures to reduce child poverty.

Together We Campaign

Please invite your MP to attend our APPG event in Children’s Hospice Week

On Tuesday 16 June, the APPG for Children Who Need Palliative Care will host a reception in parliament to celebrate the vital work of children’s hospices, supporting children with serious illness and their families.

At the event, MPs will hear directly from families and receive findings from our latest report examining the state of children’s hospice funding.

We need to ensure as many MPs as possible are in that room. We would therefore be grateful if members could please invite their MP to attend using our online form available here.