Thank you to Councillor Mike Sammon and the Sefton Lib Dem Group for sending in the original motion on their local hospice.
Council notes that:
1. Hospices provide vital specialist palliative and end-of-life care for patients, families and carers, including many residents across [OUR AREA].
2. Hospices across the UK are facing serious financial pressures, with many relying heavily on charitable donations, fundraising, gifts in wills and charity shop income to fund core clinical services.
3. Hospice UK has called for a fair funding settlement, including full funding for specialist palliative care provided by hospices, proper multi-year NHS contracts, funding to cover NHS pay rises for hospice staff and national accountability to ensure fair access to palliative care wherever people live.
[INSERT RELEVANT PARAGRAPH OR DATA ON YOUR LOCAL HOSPICE HERE]
Council believes that:
1. Nobody should have to face the end of their life without the right care, dignity and support.
2. Hospices should not be left in financial uncertainty year after year while providing essential clinical services.
3. Local generosity is remarkable, but it cannot be a substitute for sustainable and predictable funding for core hospice services.
4. Hospice funding should be fair, consistent and allocated according to local need, with sustainable hospice services helping people receive appropriate care outside hospital and reducing avoidable pressure on acute NHS services.
Council resolves to:
1. Request that the Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care calling for a sustainable funding settlement for hospices, including Hospice UK’s call for £112.5 million in recurring revenue funding from 2026/27 onwards, proper multi-year NHS contracts, funding to cover NHS pay rises for hospice staff and national accountability to ensure fair access to palliative care wherever people live.
2. Request that the Chief Executive writes to local MP(s) [INSERT NAME HERE], drawing their attention to the issue [NAME LOCAL HOSPICE IF POSSIBLE], asking them to support the campaign’s calls by raising the hospice funding crisis with Ministers, submitting Parliamentary Questions where appropriate, seeking opportunities for a Parliamentary debate and working with local, regional and national partners to help secure sustainable funding for hospice(s) serving [OUR AREA’S] residents.
3. Request that the Chief Executive writes to [RELEVANT LOCAL NHS CONTACT] asking them to work urgently with hospices serving [OUR AREA’S] residents, including [LOCAL HOSPICE], to review current commissioning and funding arrangements and support sustainable local hospice services.
4. Thank the staff, volunteers, fundraisers, donors and supporters of local hospice(s) serving [OUR AREA’S] residents, for their outstanding service to patients and families.