Region's hospices to get £9.2m government funding

Hospices in the north-west of England help about 23,000 people

About 30 hospices in the north-west of England will collectively receive £9.2m from the government's recently announced £75m fund for end-of-life care.

St Ann's Hospice in Greater Manchester and Trinity Hospice and Palliative Care Services in Blackpool have each been allocated more than £600,000.

Claire House Children's Hospice in Merseyside will receive more than £513,000, while the Hospice of the Good Shepherd in Chester has been awarded £243,555.

Care Minister Stephen Kinnock said: "At this most difficult time, people deserve to receive the best care in the best possible environment with dignity."

Hospices in the north-west of England provide services for about 23,000 people, with demand and costs continuing to rise.

Unlike the NHS, hospices are not fully funded by the state and rely on charity contributions for about two-thirds of their funding.

The sector reported an estimated shortfall of £60m during the last financial year.

'Important support'

Speaking earlier this week at Wigan & Leigh Hospice, which received £500,000, Kinnock said financially struggling hospices needed a long-term funding plan.

He also said the Department for Health and Social Care "need to step up and do our bit".

Paul Waugh, Labour MP for Rochdale, said it was "great news" that the town's Springhill Hospice, where one of his relatives was cared for, had been awarded £335,000.

And Phil Brickell, Labour MP for Bolton, said a £321,556 grant for Bolton Hospice "will make a real difference".

Brickell, who climbed Africa's highest mountain Kilimanjaro to raise funds in 2023, said: "While hospices operate outside of the NHS, it's important that we support them wherever we can."

The funds are expected to be used for an array of improvements, including separate family rooms and specially adapted beds.