Sector news and updates

Keep up-to-date with discussions and activity around assisted dying by bookmarking our information page for members.

Join our next Big Conversation webinar on Hospice ICB funding successes, which takes place on 24 March from 10:00 to 11:30.

We will be hearing from Emily Carter, CEO at Royal Trinity Hospice and Jane Wheeler, CEO at Harlington Hospice on their ICB funding success and Camilla Barrow, CEO at LOROS Hospice on winter pressures funding.

Sign up to join this session on our website.

As part of our Progressive Neurological Conditions community of practice, we are looking to create resources for hospice staff to be better able to support any patients with these conditions that are referred to their care.

To do this, we want to understand what resources hospice staff turn to currently and what they feel is missing. We’d be very grateful if as many hospice workers as possible, both clinical and non-clinical, could complete this short survey by Friday 27 March.

Our next Education network meeting is on Tuesday 10 March, from 10:30 to 12:00.

Kate Phillips, Head of Learning and Development at North London Hospice, will lead a session on Transforming Volunteer Training, followed by Adjoa Nsiah‑Jennings, Digital Education Lead at St Francis Hospice, who will introduce the Digital Education Transformation Framework and explore how hospices can build digital confidence and competence across their teams. Finally, Melanie Taylor from Hospice UK will deliver a session on abstract writing and submission.

To take part, please sign up to join the Education network. You will then be sent a meeting invitation.

Our next Patient Safety community of practice meeting is on Wednesday 11 March, from 11:00 to 12:30.

This session will feature an update on the Data Portal from Susie Goodbrand, Data Project Manager at Hospice UK, followed by a session on using a triage tool with Nicola Fenton, Advanced Clinical Practitioner at St Leonard’s Hospice.

Amelia Brennan, Lead for Clinical Services, and Kimberley Ellis, Lead for Clinical Governance and Compliance at Children’s Hospice South West, will also share our sector’s response to the Fuller Inquiry.

To take part, please sign up to join the Patient Safety community of practice. You will then be sent a meeting invitation.

Thank you to the many members who have contributed to the Modern Service Framework development process so far.

We are now looking for your insight and expertise on the components, enablers and challenges relating to four evidence-based interventions that improve outcomes for those affected by dying, death and bereavement.

These are:  

• increased identification of people with palliative and end of life care needs
• specialist palliative care provision in all settings
• integrated and holistic palliative and end of life care delivered in the home
• out of hours (24/7) access to support

Your contributions will help inform our recommendations to Government and influence the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care. 

To share your views and expertise with us, fill in this form by 10:00 on Monday 9 March 2026.

Please note, if you are a hospice that supports children and young people, you only need to respond to one call for evidence from either Hospice UK or Together for Short Lives. Our organisations are collaborating closely to influence the MSF.

On 19 February, the Government’s response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s evaluation of palliative care in England was published.

The Government accepted most of the Committee’s recommendations, but only partially accepted the recommendations on commissioning of palliative and end-of-life care and on workforce.

Read the full response online. If you have any further questions, please email our policy team.

On 9 February, NHS England published ‘The Model Emergency Department: high performing urgent and emergency care pathways.’

This guidance sets out how different components of the wider urgent and emergency care system should support improvements in patient flow.

Patients with frailty or palliative and end of life care needs are identified as a priority cohort. The guidance highlights the importance in ED of avoiding inappropriate admissions, early identification of palliative care need, access to specialist palliative care and discharge to preferred place of care.

Please see the full guidance for further detail.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill will commence the Stage 3 debate on Tuesday 10 March. Stage 3 is the final step in the process of the Scottish Parliament deciding whether the bill should pass or fall.

The deadline for final amendments to the bill is Tuesday 3 March. The expectation is that amendments will be debated on 10 March (and potentially 11 and 12 if needed) and then, there will be a debate and vote on the final version of the bill on Tuesday 17 March.

Amendments have now started to be published – these and other details are available on the Scottish Parliament website.

Hospice UK will be submitting three further amendments at this stage. Two will strengthen further the Code of Practice that was successfully added to the bill at Stage 2, the third is to ensure that the impact on hospices is considered as part of the five year review of the operation of the act.

On Tuesday 24 February, the Senedd voted in favour of implementing Westminster’s Assisted Dying Bill in Wales, should the legislation be passed by the UK Parliament.

The motion signals support in principle for adopting the Bill, but no change in the law will take effect unless Westminster approves the legislation.

As outlined in our response, we continue to stress the importance of protecting high‑quality end of life care and ensuring that any future legislation includes robust safeguards for vulnerable people.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email our policy team.