Hospice UK responds to the 10 Year Plan for the NHS in England

In response to the 10 Year Plan for the NHS in England, Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK says: "Hospice UK is pleased to see the 10-year plan for the health service in England recognise the changing needs of communities and the pressures of our ageing population. Demand for palliative and end of life care is increasing, with over 7 million people expected to die over the course of the next 10 years.

“Hospices already practice what good neighbourhood care can look like and the plan rightly identifies them as essential to proposals for integrated neighbourhood teams. They are already out in communities delivering care closer to home, keeping people out of hospital who do not need to be there, and supporting people to die with comfort and dignity. With the right support, there is so much more they can do to realise the vision set out in the 10-year plan.

“But for this to work, we need to see the shift of funding from hospital to community deliver for the hospice sector. With many hospices forced to cut services in the last year and others dangerously close to the brink, it’s clear that the current commissioning arrangements will not be able to deliver the exciting vision set out in today’s plan.

“The next thing we need is wholesale reform of the way hospices are funded so they can be there for every one of the 7 million people who may need their services in the next 10 years.”