Wednesday 18 March 2026

Today the Public Accounts Committee has published a report into the financial sustainability of hospices in England. Royal Trinity Hospice Chief Executive Emily Carter responds:

"We have watched in despair as hospices across the country have been forced to close services that support dying people in need. We have heard fulsome and heartfelt acknowledgements of the importance of hospice care from all political parties throughout the Assisted Dying debate. What more evidence does the government need before it recognises the right of people to die well by properly funding hospices? 

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report published today stresses the “urgent need for reform to address the financial challenges that the independent adult hospice sector faces” in England.

The report’s conclusions reinforce what we have long known and been shouting about for years: right now, some people are not receiving the care they deserve and, without decisive action, people at the end of life will continue to face unacceptable inequalities in access to support.

Royal Trinity Hospice is not currently planning to reduce frontline services. However, we suffer from the wide variation in statutory funding in our own commissioning arrangements that is mirrored across the country. Our patch in central London spans three ICB areas (North West London, South East London and South West London) from which we receive exceptional, acceptable and woeful funding respectively. NHS North West London have led the way in showcasing what good strategic commissioning looks like, working in partnership with their local hospices to fund the services that people need now and into the future. NHS South West London have plenty of warm words for our hospice, but are short-changing their residents by offering the lowest funding to hospices in London. 

The government must urgently define what fair funding for hospices is, and ensure all ICBs are held accountable. People at the end of life deserve better."