Hospices across Wales will receive further funding support as
landmark national commissioning guidance is agreed.
The £4.3m support package from the Welsh Government will provide
financial relief to children's and adult hospices to help meet
rising costs.
The national commissioning guidance sets – for the first time –
out a fairer and more consistent approach to commissioning
hospice and palliative care services. These reforms set the
direction for a streamlined national commissioning model from
April 2027, which will address inequity and variation in access
to hospice and palliative care across Wales.
Around 35,000 people die in Wales each year, with up to 29,000
people having palliative care needs. Hospices can help people
spend their final days with dignity, comfort and compassion
within their communities.
However, the sector faces ongoing financial challenges, alongside
significant variation in access to services, with around a
quarter of people in Wales currently lacking access to a hospice
or equivalent specialist palliative care support.
The one-off stabilisation grant will help hospices providing
commissioned NHS care manage significant financial pressures,
including rising energy costs, workforce shortages and increasing
demand and complexity of care.
It brings Welsh Government investment in hospices to more than
£25m over this Senedd term.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, , said:
“Hospices provide valued and trusted care to thousands of people
and families at the most difficult time in their lives. They
enable people to spend their final days with dignity, comfort and
compassion, surrounded by those they love.
“This grant will provide immediate support to help hospices
continue their vital work. With the new commissioning guidance,
we are laying the foundations for a fairer, more sustainable
future for hospice care in Wales; one where funding is more
predictable, services are commissioned based on need, and every
person has access to high-quality end of life care.”
National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End-of-Life Care, Dr
Idris Baker, said:
“The new commissioning guidance is a major step forward, setting
a clear and consistent approach to how hospice care is planned
and funded across Wales.
“Hospices are a vital part of the palliative and end-of-life care
system, bringing specialist expertise, compassion and support to
people, families and communities when it matters most.
“This funding provides important stability for the sector now,
while the guidance lays the foundations for a more sustainable
and equitable future, helping ensure that access to high quality
care is based on need, wherever people live.
“Our focus now is on implementation and the next phase of work to
strengthen equity across Wales, including developing a whole
system approach to specialist palliative care commissioning. By
building on this progress, we can reduce variation, improve
access, and ensure services work seamlessly together to meet the
needs of people and families across all settings.”
Chief Executive Officer of City Hospice, Dr Liz Booyse,
said:
“This funding is welcome news for hospices across Wales. Like
many in our sector, we have been navigating achallenging
financial landscape.
“This stabilisation grant will support City Hospice as we
continue to provide specialist care to patients and families who
need us most.
“We also welcome the new commissioning guidance, and Wwelsh
Government's commitment to establishing a long term sustainable
hospice sector in Wales, working in partnership with hospices, to
ensure we can be there for our communities for years to come.”
Notes to editors
- The £4.3 million stabilisation grant is a one-off allocation
for 2025-26, covering both children's and adult Welsh
commissioned hospice services.
- The new commissioning guidance, 'An Approach to the
Commissioning of Hospice Care in Wales', is published March 25.
- Welsh Government has provided more than £21 million in
additional support to hospices during this Senedd term, including
£9.5 million in one-off grants and £3 million in recurrent
funding for 2025-26.
- Around 14,500 people receive specialist palliative care
support in Wales each year.
- The commissioning guidance was developed by the NHS Wales
Joint Commissioning Committee and the National Programme for
Palliative and End-of-Life-Care, in partnership with all health
boards and hospice providers.
- The guidance is non-statutory and sets out shared principles
and direction for future commissioning reform rather than
immediate contractual changes. The same is true for the grant.
