Government gives to hospices with one hand, but takes away with another

That the announcement coincides with the continuation of £26 million worth of grant funding for children's hospices is doubly welcome, and vindication of our Care at Christmas campaign which highlights the vital work the sector provides.

But while the news is certainly welcome, it is important to add a little bit of context to the picture. Shared between more than 200 hospices across the country, the £100 million investment equates to less than £500,000 per charity. About the same as the extra £500,000 that Severn Hospice's chief executive says it will need to find to cover the rise in National Insurance announced in the Budget. And that is before we come to the increase in the national minimum wage, which the sector will also need to finance. In other words, the Government gives to the hospice movement with one hand, and takes away with another.

And while the extra money is obviously a good thing, it is only a short-term boost to a long-running problem. What hospices really need is a strategy to ensure they are properly funded in the long term, allowing them to plan ahead for the future.  

As our campaign has highlighted, our region's excellent hospices save both the NHS and local councils millions of pounds by providing care they would otherwise be responsible for, so it is only right that they are funded properly.

As Severn Hospice chief Heather Tudor says, hospices are not a 'nice to have' but are an essential part of the modern health service. 

If today's announcement is a recognition of that, then that can only be a good thing. But it can only be the start.