Welome of £1.6m for adult and children hospice services in Northern Ireland
The Hospice Alliance NI has welcomed additional funding of some £1.6m announced today by the Health Minister for hospice services.
It said the health minister has identified additional one-off funding to help alleviate the immediate crisis that hospices are facing - £1.1m for adult services and £500,000 for the Children’s Hospice, the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland.
"This recognition is important, and we are pleased to see the pressures facing our sector being acknowledged," the Alliance said.
The group is made up of Liz Cuddy, Chief Executive, Evora Hospice Care; Donall Henderson, Chief Executive, Foyle Hospice; Paula Heneghan, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships Service, Marie Curie; Trevor McCartney, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Hospice, and Hospice Alliance NI Chair.
They added: "While this funding helps to address the current financial challenges facing hospices in the short term, the more important aspect is the Minister’s commitment that he and his department will work constructively with us to secure a fair and sustainable long term funding model, in line with the recommendations set out in the Health Committee Inquiry.
"This will ensure that, as we enter the 2027/28 financial year, there will be clarity and stability in place for hospice services for the years ahead.
"Hospices are a key strategic pillar to providing community care for terminally ill patients, and we welcome the opportunity to explore how we can further develop our services in support of, and as part of, the Department’s neighbourhood model."
On Friday, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: "I welcome the hospice's commitment to work with my department to help develop the future of palliative care services.
"This investment will help alleviate some of the financial pressures hospices face and reduce the risk to the essential services hospices provide.
"I have also committed to undertaking an independent review of the comparator used in the funding model for hospice services, to ensure the model is fit for purpose going forward."
Similarly, DUP Health Spokesperson Diane Dodds MLA welcomed the funding but also called for a long-term solution.
“This funding announcement is welcome and will provide important short-term stability for hospices across Northern Ireland," she said.
"These services provide exceptional care and support for people and families at the most difficult moments of their lives and it was essential that action was taken.
"However, it is appalling that hospice providers are repeatedly being forced into funding crises simply to secure emergency support from the Department of Health.
"Hospices across Northern Ireland provide around 30,000 community visits every year and care for approximately 13,000 patients annually, yet only around £10.2 million of their estimated £40 million operating costs comes directly from the Department. That is not sustainable."
"The Assembly Health Committee’s Palliative Care Inquiry recommended that the Department should move immediately towards a 50 per cent funding model for hospices, with the long-term ambition of progressing further.
"This funding has filled an immediate gap, but what is now needed is a proper long-term plan to protect hospice and palliative care services for the future.”