- 7 months ago
DEPUTY Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Paul Davies MS brought examples from his own Pembrokeshire constituency as he argued for a sustainable funding package for Wales' hospice and palliative care sector.
The sector plays an exceptional role in providing high quality end of life care and support to families up and down Wales.
Regretfully, the hospice and palliative care sector has recently faced unprecedented financial pressures as a result of Employers’ National Insurance increases, workforce shortages, and an increase in demand.
In the Senedd on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, the Welsh Conservatives brought forward a debate recognising the vital role that the hospice and palliative care sector plays, and outlined our commitment to develop a new sustainable funding model for hospices in Wales including an additional £40 million over the next Senedd term.
This debate took place before the Senedd votes on the Legislative Consent Motion on The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill next month.
Welcoming the debate, Marie Curie Cymru Policy and Public Affairs Manager Dr Tomos Evans, said:
“This week’s debate is an important reminder that hospice services are an integral part of our palliative and end of life care system which is under huge pressure. Too many people are spending their final days isolated, in pain and struggling to make ends meet.
“In Wales, almost a fifth of hospital beds are occupied by people in their last 12 months of life, and one in 14 emergency department attendances relates to someone at end of life. This tells us the system is struggling to support dying people and those close to them.
“More people need to get the right care, in the right place – and we need to reduce avoidable trips to A&E. As the UK’s leading end of life charity, we know hospices and hospice care services in the community are key to providing care and support to people at end of life and those close to them.
“Placing hospices on a sustainable financial footing must be part of the solution, alongside clear leadership and action to fully integrate palliative and end of life care across health and social care.”
Commenting after speaking in the debate, Paul Davies MS, said:
“I am disappointed that Labour did not support our much-needed support package for the hospice and palliative care sector.
“Substantial tax rises have forced the sector to make difficult decisions. They are in need of certainty and a new, sustainable funding model.
“The Welsh Conservatives have a credible plan to support hospices and palliative care and we are the only party putting money on the table to secure the long-term future of this vital sector.”
The sector plays an exceptional role in providing high quality end of life care and support to families up and down Wales.
Regretfully, the hospice and palliative care sector has recently faced unprecedented financial pressures as a result of Employers’ National Insurance increases, workforce shortages, and an increase in demand.
In the Senedd on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, the Welsh Conservatives brought forward a debate recognising the vital role that the hospice and palliative care sector plays, and outlined our commitment to develop a new sustainable funding model for hospices in Wales including an additional £40 million over the next Senedd term.
This debate took place before the Senedd votes on the Legislative Consent Motion on The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill next month.
Welcoming the debate, Marie Curie Cymru Policy and Public Affairs Manager Dr Tomos Evans, said:
“This week’s debate is an important reminder that hospice services are an integral part of our palliative and end of life care system which is under huge pressure. Too many people are spending their final days isolated, in pain and struggling to make ends meet.
“In Wales, almost a fifth of hospital beds are occupied by people in their last 12 months of life, and one in 14 emergency department attendances relates to someone at end of life. This tells us the system is struggling to support dying people and those close to them.
“More people need to get the right care, in the right place – and we need to reduce avoidable trips to A&E. As the UK’s leading end of life charity, we know hospices and hospice care services in the community are key to providing care and support to people at end of life and those close to them.
“Placing hospices on a sustainable financial footing must be part of the solution, alongside clear leadership and action to fully integrate palliative and end of life care across health and social care.”
Commenting after speaking in the debate, Paul Davies MS, said:
“I am disappointed that Labour did not support our much-needed support package for the hospice and palliative care sector.
“Substantial tax rises have forced the sector to make difficult decisions. They are in need of certainty and a new, sustainable funding model.
“The Welsh Conservatives have a credible plan to support hospices and palliative care and we are the only party putting money on the table to secure the long-term future of this vital sector.”
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NewsTranscript
00:00On hospices, and I call on Paul Davis to move the motion.
00:04Diolter Bluwe, and I'm pleased to move the motion tabled in my name.
00:08Today's debate is an opportunity for us to recognize the importance of hospices in Wales
00:12and consider ways in which the Welsh Government can better support the sector.
00:16Hospices and palliative care providers across Wales are under more and more pressure
00:20as demand for their services increases.
00:23Providers are also facing serious workforce shortages,
00:27and of course there are increased pressures as a result of cost of living rises,
00:31and because of policies like the increase in employers' national insurance contributions
00:35from the UK Government.
00:37As a result, without serious significant investment,
00:40more and more hospices will be considering reducing their services,
00:43and some may even be forced to close their doors in the coming years.
00:47Now, unfortunately, it's too late for Shalom House, a hospice that was based in St David's,
00:51in my constituency.
00:53Shalom House closed its doors at the end of October last year
00:56after almost two decades of supporting patients with life-limiting conditions
01:01like motor neuron disease, COPD, and Parkinson's disease.
01:05I was very privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Shalom House several times as the local Senedd member,
01:11and each time I visited I was impressed with how dedicated, compassionate, and committed the staff there were.
01:17And I wasn't the only one who was impressed.
01:20In Shalom House's final inspection report,
01:22Healthcare Inspectorate Wales found that the staff team were committed to providing patients
01:27with compassionate, safe, and effective care.
01:30And so I believe it's a real shame that despite all the amazing work that was being done
01:34to care for and support patients,
01:36Shalom House had to close its doors because of financial pressures
01:40rather than any shortcomings in the quality of the care that was provided.
01:45Now, in my view, the Welsh Government should be embarrassed that Shalom House has been forced to close,
01:50and it certainly should be embarrassed about some of the findings of the Hospices UK survey
01:55that our motion refers to.
01:57That survey found that nearly 30% of Welsh hospices are reducing the number of inpatient beds
02:03or wider services as a result of increasing cost and workforce pressures.
02:09The fact that over 70% of hospices with inpatient units agree that cost of living pressures
02:15are likely to result in one or more inpatient beds becoming temporarily or permanently unavailable
02:21is not acceptable.
02:23It's clear that the Welsh Government, as a matter of urgency,
02:26needs to develop a sustainable funding model
02:29so that hospices are not forced to close because of financial pressures.
02:33According to Hospices UK, on average, 70% of the care costs of delivering hospice services
02:40are funded by charitable donations,
02:42with the remaining 30% provided by the Welsh Government and local health boards.
02:47It's very sad that hospices are having to rely so heavily on the generosity of the public
02:52in order to be able to run services,
02:55and as more and more people are requiring palliative and end-of-life care,
02:59their future is unsustainable.
03:01And this is not a new issue.
03:03There have been long-standing concerns about the sustainability of the sector,
03:07and if we don't see meaningful investment and action now,
03:11then more hospices will end up reducing services,
03:14and that ripple would be felt in our communities and by the NHS.
03:18Yes, evidence of reducing services can be seen in North Wales,
03:22where St David's hospice beds at Asputty Penrose Stanley and Hollyhead have been temporarily closed
03:28because of the impact of rising running costs and reduced income.
03:32And there is a genuine fear that we could see more of this happening across Wales
03:35if a permanent, sustainable solution is not found.
03:40Of course, the situation has been further inflamed when the UK Government announced increases in the national minimum wage
03:46and employers' national insurance contributions.
03:49And you don't need to take my word for it.
03:51In October, the chief executive of St David's hospice care in Newport, Emma Seysel,
03:56made it clear that these rising costs, coupled with the lack of sustainable funding,
04:01has made the hospice's financial situation tenuous.
04:04She said, and I quote,
04:06This is the worst time financially that I think we've ever faced.
04:10The national minimum wage increase has cost the hospice over £100,000.
04:14Couple that with the increase in national insurance, that was another £180,000.
04:21Unquote.
04:22And providers like St David's hospice care are having to find additional funding just to keep their doors open.
04:29Charitable donations are just not enough to run a hospice.
04:31There needs to be adequate, consistent statutory funding.
04:35Now, of course, it's a programme for government commitment of the Welsh Government to review voluntary hospice funding.
04:40And to give credit where credit's due, some work has already been done.
04:44Back in July 2021, the Welsh Government asked the End of Life Care Board to review hospice funding.
04:50That review identified some important considerations around including hospice at home care
04:55and the role of children's hospices in providing respite care.
04:58And as a result, an increase in recurrent funding was made to the sector.
05:04And whilst additional allocations of funding to the sector are, of course, welcome until a clear decision is made on how the sector will be supported in the medium and long term,
05:14we will not make meaningful progress in addressing these systemic challenges.
05:19So let's consider some of the things that we need to see from a sustainable funding model.
05:25Firstly, there needs to be far greater parity between the services delivered by hospices and the NHS
05:30and a clearer recognition of the vital role they play within the wider health and social care system.
05:37Hospice care is delivered in the community and in a range of settings from inpatient facilities to hospice at home care.
05:43And it relieves significant pressure on the NHS by reducing the number of hospital admissions and enabling patients to stay at home.
05:50Secondly, achieving a sustainable funding model requires a more consistent approach to statutory funding and NHS funding.
06:02Delivering greater stability in funding would give providers the confidence to plan services over the long term, invest in innovation and strengthen their workforce.
06:11Of course, it's widely recognized that the sector is already facing acute workforce shortages.
06:17The expertise held within hospice teams is unique and highly specialized.
06:21And the Welsh Government must do more to safeguard and develop this when developing a sustainable funding model.
06:29Now, I believe a sustainable funding model must also reflect the way hospice services are delivered in practice.
06:33For example, some providers operate across multiple health board boundaries and this cross boundary working must be accounted for fairly and transparently within the new model.
06:44Some providers have to deliver services in rural communities and that comes with additional costs that also needs to be accounted for.
06:51And finally, for any new model to be genuinely fit for purpose, it must have the confidence and support of the hospice sector itself.
06:59Their experience and insight are essential to shaping a model that adequately meets the needs of both patients and providers.
07:08Indeed, perhaps in responding to this debate, the Cabinet Secretary will tell us a bit more about how the Welsh Government will ensure that the model has real buy-in from Welsh hospices.
07:20Now, I appreciate that developing a sustainable model is not a straightforward or simple issue.
07:25And I know that the National Programme Board for Palliative and End-of-Life Care has been working on a national commissioning framework for hospice services.
07:33And we need to see more progress on this front.
07:37Mary Kiwri has rightly said that the forthcoming commissioning framework for hospice services must support consistent service delivery and include standardization of unit price, contract length and terms and commitments to agenda for changed salary levels.
07:52And in response to a question from my colleague Marcus Sheward on the commissioning framework in November, the First Minister assured the Senate Chamber that the commissioning model would be sustainable and consistent across Wales, especially in rural areas.
08:07And yet we've heard nothing since about what that actually looks like.
08:12And so I hope the Cabinet Secretary will take the opportunity today to tell us more about this in responding to this debate.
08:21Dear Prillowith, I want to reiterate that hospices are providers of expert palliative care and closures like we've seen in the case of Shalom House must be avoided wherever possible.
08:32Members will no doubt be aware of excellent hospice care being delivered in their own constituencies and regions.
08:38For example, in my constituency, the Paul Satori Foundation provide outstanding nursing care in people's homes.
08:45And I refer members to my register of members interests as I'm a proud member of that foundation.
08:51Their hospice at home service is available 365 days of the year and they operate a 24-7 on-call service.
09:00And there are many examples of important care like this being delivered in communities right across Wales.
09:06That's why I believe that investing in a sustainable funding model for the sector is an investment in safeguarding essential services.
09:15We cannot allow the hospice sector to continue to be reliant on piecemeal cash injections from the Welsh Government because it makes effective long-term planning almost impossible.
09:26It's crucial now that the Welsh Government works with the National Programme Board for Palliative and End-of-Life Care to give the sector the urgent priority it deserves and develop a model that's fit for the 21st century.
09:40The Welsh Government must start delivering lasting solutions so that providers can plan for the future and people can be confident that high-quality palliative care services will be in our communities for years to come.
09:54As Mary Currie rightly say, we can't afford to waste time getting this right.
09:59People living with a terminal illness and those close to them deserve better and we need policy makers, health boards and providers to take the radical action needed to transform end-of-life care in Wales.
10:12And so I look forward to hearing members' views about what a sustainable funding model should look like and how we can better support Welsh hospices.
10:19And I urge members to support this motion.
10:24I have selected the amendment to the motion. I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
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