Labor accused of taking NI out of hospices then handing it back under £100m funding scheme
Hospices will get back money taken from them by Labour’s national insurance raid, which has been repackaged as new funding, it is claimed.
The Government said yesterday that adult and children’s hospices will receive £100 million to help provide end-of-life care, in what it described as the ‘biggest investment in a generation’.
But the Conservatives accused ministers of taking millions of pounds from hospices and palliative care charities in the autumn budget – before telling them they were ‘grateful’ for getting some money back.
Shadow Health Secretary Dr Caroline Johnson criticized Labor for having “the audacity” to make such a claim, adding: “This is socialism at its best.”
Former Tory Health Secretary Neil O’Brien, who described Chancellor Rachel Reeves as the ‘Grinch who stole Christmas’ when she increased employer contributions in her October statement, yesterday called for charities and voluntary organizations to be exempt from the elevation.
Hospice organizations have previously said they would face further financial burdens without such an exemption.
While Hospice UK said the latest funding would be ‘hugely welcome’, end-of-life charity Marie Curie warned that a one-off investment will not be enough to make the necessary improvements.
Health Secretary Karin Smyth, speaking in the House of Commons before parliament broke up before Christmas, was repeatedly asked whether the £100 million funding would cover the cost of the network surge but refused to answer directly.
The Keir Starmer-led (pictured) government said yesterday that adult and children’s hospices will receive £100 million to help provide end-of-life care, in what it described as the ‘biggest investment in a generation’.
Hospices will get back money taken from them by Labour’s national insurance raid, repackaged as new funding, it is claimed (File image)
Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said a hospice serving his constituency of Harwich and North Essex estimates that the changes to national insurance will cost them £300,000 over a whole year, and asked: ‘Can the Minister now give an assurance that they will continue to the government will be compensated in full?’
Ms Smyth replied: ‘We will announce sector-wide and NHS allocations in the new year in the usual way.’
Tory MP Martin Vickers said any increase in funding for hospices is welcome, but added: ‘This (funding announcement), let’s face it, is giving with one hand and taking with the other.’
The Department of Health and Social Care also confirmed separate funding of £26 million for next year under the Children’s Hospice Grant.
In a written statement, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said it is “only right” that hospices are given the financial support to provide their services, while Care Secretary Stephen Kinnock said the funding “will enable hospices to maintain their physical and operational environment’. allowing them to offer their patients the best possible care.’
Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said: ‘Today’s announcement will be hugely welcomed by hospices and those who rely on their services.
‘Hospices not only provide vital care for patients and families, but also relieve pressure on the NHS.
The Conservatives accused ministers of taking millions of pounds from hospices and palliative care charities during the autumn budget (File image)
“This funding allows hospices to continue reaching hundreds of thousands of people each year with high-quality, compassionate care.”
Ralph Coulbeck, chief executive of Haven House children’s hospice, said it is “a relief” to know the children’s grant will be maintained next year, adding that it “will help support the vital care we provide to seriously ill children and families’.
Matthew Reed, chief executive of Marie Curie, described the system of palliative and end-of-life care as ‘in crisis’, with access to the right care often depending on where someone lives.
He said: ‘Marie Curie welcomes additional investment in the palliative care sector and looks forward to further clarification on how this funding will be used to ensure better care for all dying people who need it.
‘However, a limited and one-off investment will not meet the recurring cost pressures and ongoing needs of the sector – including the long-term impact of additional national insurance contributions, continued pressure from rising wage costs, and an increased number of people living in poverty over the next twenty years dies.’