On the afternoon of Monday 22 April, hospice funding will be debated in the House of Commons in an important opportunity to bring attention to the challenges the sector is facing and the support needed.

This debate was originally planned for Monday 15 April, with many MPs lined up to speak and represent local hospices at the debate.

To ensure the rescheduled debate receives the attention it deserves, please email our local MP, Maria Miller, to alert her to the new date and encourage her to attend.

If Maria Miller was intending to speak at the original debate, this does not guarantee she will automatically speak at the Monday 22 April debate, so it is essential to emphasise the importance of them being there.

Email our MP now. You can email Maria Miller at maria.miller.mp@parliament.uk. We’ve written the message for you. All you need to do is copy and paste it into a new email, add your details and press send. This simple action could make all the difference to the future of St. Michael’s Hospice, and others like us across England.

Email template:

Dear Maria,

I’m a supporter of St. Michael’s Hospice (North Hampshire), a charity delivering essential end-of-life care to local people in across North Hampshire. I am deeply concerned to hear that, like hospices across England, the vital services they provide are under threat because their income is not rising in line with the growing need for their services locally.

As my representative in Parliament, will you take part in the backbench business debate on Monday 22 April, where MPs will be discussing the subject of hospice funding.

St. Michael’s Hospice is currently running an Urgent Care Appeal due to the lack of funding leaving them with a funding gap of £600,000.

To protect local hospice care in your constituency, please ask the government to:

  • Produce a national plan to ensure the right funding flows to hospices. This should include measures to support local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) with their commissioning decisions to secure hospice funding now and into the future.
  • Ensure ICBs commit to fully delivering the statutory requirement set out in the Health and Care Act 2022. This should include placing hospices on multi-year contracts, paying the full cost of commissioned clinical services, and offering hospices the same annual contract value increases as NHS services.

Please let me know if you will take part in the debate on Monday to help protect hospice care in our local area for years to come.

Many thanks for your support with this important matter,