§ Jonathan ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Kent and Medway strategic health106WS authority will be required to passport to hospices in Kent all of the £1.5 million funding which he recently announced for palliative care; and if he will instruct the strategic health authority to consult with hospice managers on how that funding should be spent. [134323]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe additional £50 million per annum central budget, the allocation of which was recently announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State For Health, is for specialist palliative care services in their entirety and not for voluntary hospices alone. The level of funding for hospices, both from local allocation from the additional £50 million and from local resources, is a matter for local discussion and agreement.
All 34 cancer networks were asked to submit their proposed investment plans for the use of their allocation from the £50 million to the National Partnership Group (NPG) for palliative care which is made up of representatives from the voluntary sector (including hospices), the national health service and the Department. The NPG set out clear criteria for the use of the funding, which included evidence of local consultation and partnership working between all stakeholders in deciding how the additional funding should be invested.