Committee publication · Correspondence · 26 March 2026
Letter to the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care relating to Financial sustainability of adult hospices in England, 26 March 2026
From: Public Accounts Committee
Inquiry: Financial sustainability of adult hospices in England
Summary
The Public Accounts Committee Chair writes to the Department of Health and Social Care's Permanent Secretary following the committee's March 2026 report on financial sustainability of adult hospices in England. The letter requests government response to the report's recommendations and proposes that the Modern Service Framework be used to redirect the 10 million bed days per year currently used by dying adults in acute settings toward hospices, potentially reallocating £800 million in savings.
Key findings
- The committee's report covers oversight, delivery and commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services
- Hospices currently save the NHS 1.5 million bed days per year and approximately £800 million
- 10 million bed days per year in acute settings are used by adults in their last year of life, many of whom could be better served in other settings
- The Modern Service Framework is central to defining and delivering an effective, efficient and compassionate palliative care system
- Chair has engaged with those with lived experience of hospice care as both providers and users, reporting positive public response to the report
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Samantha Jones, Public Accounts Committee, Department of Health and Social Care, Comptroller and Auditor General, Treasury Officer of Accounts
Notable line
“… hospices currently saves the NHS 1.5 million bed days per year and around £800 million.”
Key Quotes
“… the support provided by hospices currently saves the NHS 1.5 million bed days per year and around £800 million.”
“Building on this recommendation, the Modern Service Framework should also be used as an opportunity to think carefully about how, in acute settings, 10 million bed days per year are used by adults in their last year of life …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗