Hospice UK and Hospices Cymru are calling for urgent action from Welsh Government to secure fair and stable funding for hospice care, warning that essential services will become increasingly difficult to sustain without investment.
It estimates that an additional £30 million is needed to ensure hospices can continue delivering vital services throughout the remainder of this Senedd term.
The call follows a briefing at the Senedd, where Members heard directly from patients, families and hospice staff about the pressures facing palliative and end of life care.
Across Wales, hospices support more than 20,000 children and adults every year, providing compassionate, specialist care in people’s homes, communities and inpatient units. But demand for hospice care is rising fast as people live longer with more complex conditions. Many hospices are seeing more urgent referrals and growing pressure on community teams.
Despite the vital role they play, hospices still rely on charitable fundraising for around two thirds of their income, alongside year‑by‑year Welsh Government grants with no guarantee they will continue.
This lack of stability is placing services under strain and limiting the ability of hospices to plan for the future.
Public concern is growing too. More than 7,000 people across Wales have recently written to their MS calling for stable funding to protect hospice care. This activity was promoted by Hospices Cymru’s Write to your MS campaign, which has mobilised communities across the country to speak up for the future of hospice services.
Liz Booyse, Chair of Hospices Cymru and Chief Executive of City Hospice, said, “A recurring funding commitment for the remainder of this Senedd term is essential. Hospice teams are caring for people with increasingly urgent and complex needs, at a time when many services are under real strain from rising costs and demand.
“Securing stable funding will safeguard care today and give hospices, Welsh Government and the NHS the stability needed to plan a sustainable future for palliative and end of life services in Wales.”
The event at Senedd shone a light on the incredible work hospices do every day across Wales, supporting people at the most difficult moments of their lives.
Most hospice care in Wales is delivered in the community, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, supporting timely discharges, and reducing demand on GPs, district nursing and social care teams.
Without sustainable investment, hospices warn it will become increasingly challenging to meet the rising needs of their communities and to protect this vital role within the wider health and care system.
These issues will be on the agenda for the Senedd Cross‑Party Group on Palliative and Hospice Care, which was launched at the Senedd event and is supported by Marie Curie Cymru, Hospices Cymru and Hospice UK.
Sam Rowlands MS, the new chair of the Cross-Party Group said: “The Cross‑Party Group will support Members by providing evidence and insight from the frontline, helping us understand what needs to change to deliver the palliative and end of life care system Wales needs.
“That includes ensuring everyone in Wales can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time in their last phase of life. Our aim is to keep these issues firmly on the agenda and ensure government action matches the scale of need.”
