Children’s hospices in England are set to receive £80 million over the next three years, providing vital financial certainty for services that support seriously ill children and their families.
Announced by the Department of Health and Social Care, the settlement includes £26 million each year, adjusted for inflation and distributed through local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) on behalf of NHS England. The funding will enable hospices to continue delivering compassionate, high-quality care for thousands of children across the country.
This new commitment builds on the government’s £100 million investment in hospices—the largest in a generation—and marks a move towards greater stability for the palliative and end-of-life care sector. Around 99,000 children in the UK are currently living with life-limiting conditions such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, and neurological disorders—three times as many as two decades ago. Children’s hospices play a vital role in providing clinical care, emotional support, and respite for these children and their families.
The multi-year funding agreement, which will run for the remainder of this Parliament, ensures that hospices can plan ahead and focus on care rather than short-term fundraising cycles. It also supports the government’s ambition—set out in its 10-Year Health Plan—to deliver more personalised care closer to home, shifting services out of hospitals and into community settings.
Visiting Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice in Barnet, London, Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock MP met with children, families, and hospice staff to discuss the impact of the new funding. Noah’s Ark has already received £882,000 from the 2025/26 allocation. Individual hospice allocations for the following three years will be published in due course.
Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, said:
“Children’s hospices provide invaluable support to families facing unimaginable challenges. Through this funding, we are ensuring hospices can continue to deliver compassionate, high-quality care—and ending the uncertainty of short-sighted, annual funding cycles. Having seen first-hand the extraordinary work of Noah’s Ark, I am determined that every child receives the wraparound care they deserve.”
Hospices will use this funding to provide a wide range of essential services, including respite care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and 24/7 nursing support for children at the end of their lives. By distributing funds through ICBs, the government aims to reduce regional disparities and end the “postcode lottery” in palliative care.
Nick Carroll, Chief Executive of Together for Short Lives, welcomed the announcement:
“Children’s hospices create precious moments of joy for seriously ill children and their families. As demand for this lifeline care grows, maintaining and increasing this funding over three years will bring much-needed clarity and reassurance. It ensures families can continue to access vital care beyond 2025/26.”
Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said:
“This is a welcome and significant first step in placing the children’s hospice sector on a sustainable footing. The stability provided by a multi-year settlement will make a real difference to the care provided and the families supported.”
Sophie Andrews OBE, CEO of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, added:
“We were delighted to welcome Minister Kinnock and a family who benefit from our services. This announcement represents a real step forward for children’s palliative care funding and will help us support even more families—creating not only moments of normality but also moments of magic and joy.”
