Sir John Whittingdale, MP for Maldon, attends Hospice UK’s pop-up hospice Charity Shop event in Parliament.
While attending, Sir John signed their open letter to the Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock MP, urging him to provide emergency funding for the charitable hospice sector.
See below for the open letter text:
Dear Minister of State for Care,
We are writing to call on you to provide emergency funding for
the charitable hospice sector and commit to long-term reform of
the sector’s funding model. This is to prevent further cuts to
frontline hospice services and staff.
On average, one third of hospice income comes from
government with the remaining two thirds raised by fundraising.
The funding hospices receive from Integrated Care Boards
(ICBs) is also inconsistent and often does not reflect the cost of
the services hospices provide on behalf of the NHS.
The hospice sector’s unsustainable funding model has not
withstood the cost of living crisis and hospices are reducing
services and making frontline staff redundant as a result.
Hospices can be a key partner in supporting the Government to
shift more care into the community. Hospice services keep
people out of hospital who do not need to be there and ensure
they can die in their place of choice with the care they need.
We call on you to provide short-term funding to prevent more
cuts in the sector and commit to working with Hospice UK on a
long-term funding solution for hospices that is fit for the future.
Yours sincerely,
Sir John is pictured below attending the event
