St John’s Hospice welcomes the release of government funds to hospices in England

Today, we welcome the much-anticipated news of the allocation of the first £25 million of additional government funding for hospices in England.

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This initial allocation is part of a wider £100 million funding package first announced last December by Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. This investment is described as the largest in a generation for the hospice sector.

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Over 170 hospices across the country have received news of their funding allocations today, including St John’s Hospice, which has been awarded more than £140,000.

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The funding is reserved for capital expenditure and aims to help hospices like our improve our physical environments, enhance efficiency through investments in digital technology, and increase capacity to provide care for patients at home.

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This initial allocation, distributed through Hospice UK to eligible hospices, must be spent by 31 March 2025. A second allocation of £75 million is expected in the next financial year (2025/26), with details and specific amounts for each hospice yet to be announced.

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Simon James, Chief Executive of St John’s Hospice, said: “We welcome the additional support to hospices from the government at a time when the sector is facing so many challenges.

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“The funding will allow our hospice to make improvements to our Inpatient Unit here in St John’s Wood, further enhancing patients’ dignity and comfort, as well as invest in new patient data systems and technology, which will improve the efficiency of our care provision as a whole.

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“Over the last few years, our costs have risen significantly as we expand our services to address the growing need in our community. While this injection of funds is deeply appreciated, we remain focused on securing funding to alleviate the continued pressure across all our services.”

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Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said: "The announcement before Christmas of £100m of additional funding for hospices in England was a significant boost, and today's news of the allocation of the first £25m of this funding will be a huge relief for our members.

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"Several years of rapidly rising costs have curtailed the extent to which hospices have been able to invest in their infrastructure for the longer term. This additional support will enable them to do so - and relieve the immediate pressures on hospice finances.

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"The hospice sector is ready to support the government's ambition to shift more care into the community. This couldn't be more important for people approaching the end of life, when it's vital to have the right care, in the right place.

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"The greater stability provided by the government's funding injection this year and next gives us a golden opportunity to now reform the palliative and end of life care system, so it's fit for the future."

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