In 2024, the Secretary of State announced £100 million to improve hospice facilities and in January 2026, announced a further £25 million to UK hospices. This funding can only be spent on improving buildings for patients, IT and other capital projects such as solar panels, and this new grant must be spent by March 2026.
In total, this means £469,376 has been given to Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice.
We are grateful that the government recognises both the vital role that hospices play and the pressures we are experiencing in the sector.
However, these grants do not support hospices to deliver care or tackle the challenges we face around sustainable funding. We will continue to urge our NHS partners and the government to improve the approach to funding hospices, so we can continue to support our community.
We have been really careful to spend the grants to make the biggest impact on our services. We have spent this on various projects, including:
- Updating our 30-year-old plumbing system
- Investing in additional solar panels
- IT security
- Tarmacking the previous pothole-filled driveway
- And now, refurbishing our Adult Inpatient Unit bedrooms and bathrooms
The quality hands-on care that is delivered every single day is not included in this investment. It’s your ongoing generosity that funds the staff who greet you with a warm smile, wrap a blanket around your shoulders before you know you need it, manage pain and relieve discomfort, helping you, your family, friends, carers and neighbours navigate life’s most challenging moments.
We will continue to work with our MPs, commissioners and the government to highlight the vital work we do and the important role we play in supporting our under-pressure health and care system. We hope that a more long-term approach to providing the much-needed sustainable funding will be introduced, so that we can continue to bring you the compassion and support that is hospice care now and into the future.
