16 October 2025
We welcome today’s news that the Government is extending its £26m grant (formerly known as the children’s hospice grant) for three years, increasing by inflation each year. A huge thank you to ministers for listening to hospices and the families of children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.
This grant means that children’s hospices in England will have access to vital funding in 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29, allowing us to plan for the longer-term, rather than on a year-by-year basis, and ensuring continued access to children’s hospice care for those who need it.
While this is a positive update, there are still key issues to address across the sector, if we are to safeguard our children’s hospice services, including ongoing funding gaps, commissioning challenges and a shortage of nurses to help keep services running safely. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at Together for Short Lives to advocate for the sector and our children and young people, ensuring that children’s hospice care in East and West Sussex, and South East Hampshire, is here for the long-term and able to play its part in the 10-year healthcare plan set out by the Government earlier this year.
Chief Executive Stuart Palma said: “I look forward to continuing to work with ministers to make sure children’s hospices are in a position to play a full role in realising the shifts in healthcare set out in the government’s 10 Year Plan. Together, it’s vital that we shape a palliative care delivery plan which means seriously ill children can access high quality, sustainable support in hospital, in the community and in children’s hospices.”
We’d also like to thank all in our communities who took the time to contact their MP about this important matter.