UK Government Announces £50m Funding Boost For Hospices And End Of Life Care

Main Category: Palliative Care / Hospice Care
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Seniors / Aging;  Public Health
Article Date: 14 Sep 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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A £50m boost to make physical improvements to hospices caring for older people nearing the end of life was announced today by health minister Rosie Winterton at the Marie Curie Cancer Care 'Delivering Choice' seminar.

This money, which is capital funding, will be spread over the next two years and will help adult hospices undertake a wide range of refurbishment, modernisation or enhancement works agreed as necessary to make them more able to provide better facilities and services for patients nearing the end of life.

It will allow hospices to make physical improvements to their buildings, for instance;

- Refurbishing day rooms, dining rooms bedrooms and all common spaces used by patients

- Improving hospice grounds so patients can spend time outdoors, and

- Modernising parts of a hospice's facilities.

Around £40 million will be made available through our Dignity in Care programme for Older People although, of course, the improvements the funding will bring will benefit all patients using adult hospice facilities, irrespective of their age.

In the region of a further circa of £10 million will be made available directly to Marie Curie Cancer Care to support their programme of major capital modernisation works.

Rosie Winterton said;

''When you are ill your surroundings are so important to your general well-being. Every patient wants, and deserves, to be cared for in the best facilities possible. This money will be directly benefitting patients and will improve the services and care they receive in hospices, as part of our continuing commitment to improve the end of life care services very ill patients receive."

Professor Ian Philp, National Director for Older People, said; "Improving end of life care for older people is a key part of our work on ensuring dignity and care. Hospices have a leading role in developing best practice. I am particularly pleased therefore that this investment will be targeted on hospices which can demonstrate how the fund will benefit older people."

David Praill, Chief Executive, Help the Hospices, said, "Hospices across the UK do tremendous work in caring for people facing the end of their lives. I am delighted that we will be working with the Department of Health to ensure that the money from this programme brings the best possible benefits to hospice patients and their families."

Rosie Winterton made the announcement at Marie Curie's Delivering Choice Programme seminar. The programme aims to develop and help provide the best possible service for patients nearing the end of life, allowing them to be cared for in the place of their choice. The programme consists of a series of projects that will invest in community-based specialist palliative care services to provide rapid response (hospice at home) services to patients.

Marie Curie is working in partnership with local and national statutory and voluntary sector providers to develop patient-focused 24 hour service models that serve local needs.

The programme provides a good example of the ways in which the voluntary sector can work with the NHS to deliver quality care and patient choice. Rosie Winterton said that the seminar - which reported early findings from the programme and encouraged other health and social care communities to launch similar programmes - indicated the Department of Health's support for this initiative.

1. All £50m will be available over 2006/07 and 2007/08, to enhance the physical environment for older people cared for in hospices. Funds can be spent on any tangible physical environmental improvements the hospice believes will achieve this.

2. The £40m will be available to all hospice organisations in England and allocated in response to investment proposals that will collected during the Autumn.

3. £10 million will be made available to Marie Curie Cancer Care to support their programme of major capital modernisation works and will be subject to business case approval.

3. Schemes must not generate ongoing revenue demands for the NHS.

4. Children's hospice services have been awarded £27m spread over 3 years, beginning in 2006/7 towards their service costs and applications are currently being made. A review of the long term sustainability of palliative care services for children and young people has also been announced.

http://www.dh.gov.uk

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