The biggest investment in a generation for hospice environments has been announced by the Government, ensuring hospices can continue to deliver the highest-quality end-of-life care possible for patients, families, and loved ones.

The £100m capital funding will help hospices this year and next to provide the best end-of-life care to patients and their families in a supportive and dignified physical environment.

Hospices for children and young people will also receive a further £26m revenue funding for 2025/26 through what until recently was known as the Children’s Hospice Grant.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Hospices provide the care and support for patients and families at the most-difficult time, so it is only right they are given the financial support to provide these services.

“This package will ensure they will be able to continue to deliver the compassionate care everyone deserves as they come to the end of their life in the best-possible environment.

“This investment will go towards helping hospices to improve their buildings, equipment, and accommodation.

“That will include refurbishing bedrooms and bathrooms for patients, providing comfortable overnight facilities for families, and improving IT systems to make it easier for GPs and hospitals to share vital data on patients.

“The money will also help towards improving garden and outdoor spaces so patients and their families can spend time outdoors in greener and cleaner spaces.”

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS national director of primary care, added: “It’s absolutely right that staff can provide high-quality and compassionate care to people at the end of their life in the best-possible environment and this package will help staff to do that.”

As part of the 10 Year Health Plan, the Government wants to shift healthcare out of hospitals into the community to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most-appropriate setting.

And the palliative and end-of-life care sector, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift.

The capital funding will also support the Government’s shift from analogue to digital, through the digital upgrades.

There are currently around 170 hospices that provide end-of-life care for adults, and around 40 which provide hospice care for children and young people in England, with some hospices providing care to both.

Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, said: “The announcement will be hugely welcomed by hospices, and those who rely on their services.

“Hospices not only provide vital care for patients and families, but also relieve pressure on the NHS.

“This funding will allow hospices to continue to reach hundreds of thousands of people every year with high-quality, compassionate care.

“We look forward to working with the Government to make sure everyone approaching the end of life gets the care and support they need, when, and where, they need it.

Responding to the announcement Ralph Coulbeck, chief executive at Haven House children’s hospice, called for the Government to support local decision-making on where the money should be spent.

He said: “It will be a relief to everybody in the children’s hospice sector to hear that the Children’s Hospice Grant is being maintained next year; this will help to support the vital care we provide to seriously-ill children and their families.

“It is also very positive to hear about the Government’s plans to invest significantly in the wider hospice sector; and we hope that there will be as much flexibility as possible to determine locally how this new money is spent.

“This investment shows how government recognises the importance of integrating services to improve the treatment patients receive. Through our plans for Neighbourhood Health Centres, we will drive the shift of care from hospital into the community, bringing together existing palliative care services alongside community care services, so people have the best access to treatment through joined-up services.”

Funding arrangements will be shared with the sector in the coming weeks.