Recommendation 24

NHS England agreed that the hospice sector is fundamentally in financial distress and that there is a need to move quickly to resolve and fix the problems. But it stressed the need to avoid perpetuating problems, such as supporting a provider delivering substandard care.54 NHS England wrote to us after the session to reiterate that the development of the Modern Service Framework is their immediate action to address the fundamental issues in palliative and end-of-life care.55 However, we are concerned that only after the framework is published in autumn 2026 will new payment mechanisms be produced, taking more time to implement.56 Wider value of independent hospices