§ Lord Hayhoeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 9 December (WA 14), what proportion of the additional funds intended for hospices has reached front-line services in the latest 12-month period for which figures or estimates are available; and what is the shortfall. [HL765]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe NHS Cancer Plan commitment is that National Health Service investment in specialist palliative care will increase by £50 million per annum by 2003–04, compared with 2000–01. This increase is intended both to enable the NHS to make a more realistic contribution to the costs hospices incur in providing agreed levels of service, and to tackle inequalities in access to specialist palliative care. We have not identified a specific share intended for hospices.