Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 6
6
The NHS is at risk of losing the huge value it gains from independent hospices...
Conclusion
The NHS is at risk of losing the huge value it gains from independent hospices beyond the provision of statutory palliative and end-of-life care. Independent hospices provide enhanced care compared with the NHS, such as complementary therapies, funded from charitable donations. As well as patient care, they provide expert advice and training on palliative and end-of-life care to the NHS. Their independence enables a degree of innovation in care delivery methods that the NHS cannot easily replicate, and they are leading the move to provide more palliative care in community settings. NHS England acknowledges that hospices are a key part of the delivery of neighbourhood care, for example through their provision of 24/7 palliative care advice lines that support communities and help reduce hospital admissions. Hospices are increasingly supporting wider community services, such as care homes and general practice. The financial situation of the hospice sector puts the Department and NHS England at risk of losing this value and having to dedicate resources to replace the lost expertise. recommendation The Department and NHS England should ensure the Modern Service Framework will thoroughly examine: • the full range of wider benefits that independent hospices provide and that the NHS gains from; and • how the Department will protect and support the provision of these benefits in the future.
Government Response
Response Pending
HM Government
Response Pending
The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. The government and NHS England are working closely with Hospice UK, Marie Curie, Sue Ryder and Together for Short Lives to ensure the views of hospices are gathered and considered at every stage of the MSF development. Furthermore, the MSF will also consider high-potential innovation, where we anticipate significant progress being possible in the next ten years and an account of how we plan to work with others, including the independent hospice sector, to develop, adopt and spread innovation. The MSF will support the shift to the strategic commissioning, based on the integrated needs assessment completed by the ICB which focuses on the needs of patients, rather than providers. This supports the move to services, including those provided by hospices, being effectively commissioned and contracted at a local level to meet identified population needs now and in the future. The MSF will provide direction on the evidenced-based interventions that improve outcomes for patients, families and carers. Value for money will be an important consideration in the inclusion of the evidence-based interventions that will support the effective use of resources. Furthermore, the government is supporting the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices, to ensure the best physical environment for care, and are also providing around £80 million revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years.