In response to the December announcement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of additional support for the hospice sector, Hospice UK released the following statement on behalf of hospices across the UK:
"The announcement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will be hugely welcomed by hospices, their staff and by the communities they support.
"The Government has recognised the very real financial strain that adult and children's hospices have been under for some time. The additional support will ease that strain significantly. It will allow investment in the future of our services, and allow hospices in England to continue to reach hundreds of thousands of people with high-quality, compassionate care in the right environment.
"The funding will not only benefit patients but also the wider health and social care system. Hospices will play a big role in the Government's aim to move care out of hospitals and into the community. Our services prevent people from dying in hospital when they do not want or need to be there. They also prevent unnecessary and stressful visits to emergency departments for people in their final weeks and months.
"We look forward to continuing to work with the Government through the ten year plan to improve the provision of palliative and end of life care. Hospices are ready to do all we can in the coming years to make sure everyone gets the care and support they need at the end of life."
Tina Turner, Wakefield Hospice CEO: “Although we echo the positive thoughts of Hospice UK regarding the additional support being provided for the hospice sector, we do so with cautious optimism as we continue to manoeuvre our way through these financially challenging times.
“We are pleased to see the further support being provided to hospices across the UK, support which will help us here at Wakefield Hospice to continue reaching out to more and more patients and families with our vital care services.
“However, we are equally aware that the current financial climate will continue to present challenges and we therefore remain focused on ensuring every penny received – be it from government funding or from the incredible support of our local community – is spent with the greatest of scrutiny, making sure Wakefield Hospice can remain a key player in the end of life and palliative care services for the Wakefield district for years to come.”