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We welcome ministerial decision to increase children’s hospice funding in England

News and comment
Nick Carroll, CEO of Together for Short Lives stands for a head and shoulders portrait. He looks concerned with a serious expression on his face.

We welcome the UK Government’s announcement that it will maintain and increase ringfenced NHS funding for children’s hospices in England, formerly known as the Children’s Hospice Grant, over a three-year period, beginning in 2026/27.

The funding is currently worth £26 million in 2025/26. Ministers have committed to extending this over a three-year period with inflationary uplifts each year.

Securing this funding commitment represents a significant campaign win for seriously ill children, the children’s hospices who provide them with lifeline care and support and Together for Short Lives.

Responding to the announcement, Nick Carroll, our Chief Executive, said:

“I warmly welcome this news and thank ministers for listening to families of seriously ill children and those who provide them with the children’s hospice services they rely on.

“Children’s hospices are amazing and create precious moments of joy for seriously ill children and their families. As demand for this lifeline care grows in both volume and complexity, children’s hospices are providing more support than ever before.

“Maintaining and increasing this funding over three years will help to bring some clarity and reassurance to children’s hospices, helping them to plan and deliver care over a longer period. Above all, it will help ensure seriously ill children and their families can continue to access vital hospice care beyond 2025/26.”

“This campaign win has been made possible by families, professionals and services working with us to make a strong case to the government. I am delighted that Together for Short Lives has played a key role in uniting our sector, amplifying their voices and achieving this positive outcome.

“While this is excellent news, wider challenges remain with workforce shortages, funding gaps and issues in commissioning, leadership and accountability preventing families from accessing the care they need, when and where they need it. I look forward to continuing to work with the ministers to make sure children’s palliative care services are in a position to play a full role in realising the shifts in healthcare set out in the government’s 10 Year Plan.

“Together, it’s vital that we shape a palliative care delivery plan which means seriously ill children can access high quality, sustainable support in hospital, in the community and in children’s hospices.”

Next steps

We will now work with officials to achieve clarity about how and when the funding will be distributed in 2026/27 as soon as possible. We will play a full role in working with the government, the NHS and with children’s hospices to make sure the money is distributed equitably.

We will also work constructively with the Department of Health and Social Care as it develops its three-year all-age palliative care delivery plan and its long-term workforce strategy. We remain committed to working with the government to ensure that the momentum created by this announcement is maintained and that other key challenges in workforce, funding and commissioning are also addressed.

“This campaign win has been made possible by families, professionals and services working with us to make a strong case to the government. I am delighted that Together for Short Lives has played a key role in uniting our sector, amplifying their voices and achieving this positive outcome.

Nick Carroll, Chief Executive, Together for Short Lives

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