Hospice funding petition passes 10,000 signatures ahead of bill’s second reading

A petition calling on the Government to fully fund specialist palliative care provided by hospices passed 10,000 signatures on 21 October, which means ministers must now respond. The petition, started by Victoria Bassett, is open until 1 November.

It says government funding covers only about a third of hospice costs on average, that more than half of hospices ran a deficit last year, and that nearly 60 per cent have cut or are considering cutting services. It warns that the need for palliative care is expected to rise by a quarter by 2048, and that hospice closures would put more pressure on hospitals.

A bill on hospice funding

In the Commons, Labour MP Paul Foster (South Ribble) has a private member’s bill on the subject. The Hospice Funding Bill would require the Health Secretary to publish proposals on how integrated care boards fund medicines and pharmacy services for hospice patients. It is due for second reading on Friday 27 November.

The assisted suicide bill

Hospice funding has become a central part of the debate on assisted suicide. This session’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, brought by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, was defeated at second reading on 11 September by 286 votes to 270. Its predecessor, Kim Leadbeater’s bill, fell at the end of the last session after lengthy scrutiny in the Lords.

In a Westminster Hall debate on Lords reform on 20 October, Ms Leadbeater said “the second Chamber has sadly not behaved responsibly or appropriately” over her bill, and that “some peers intentionally used every tool at their disposal to bring the legislative process to a standstill”. Opponents argue that people facing the end of their lives need properly funded care, not a choice made under pressure because good care is not available.