David Chadwick calls for action to protect Wales’s vital hospice services

Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick is warning that terminally ill patients across Wales are now facing cuts to vital hospice care, as they back a Liberal Democrat campaign to save hospices across the UK and are calling on the Welsh Government to take urgent action.

Chadwick has urged the Welsh Government to deliver a sustainable national funding settlement for hospices, warning that many “are on the brink of collapse unless Ministers in Cardiff Bay step in now.”

The warning comes amid growing evidence that hospices across Wales are facing a funding crisis, with rising costs, staff pay pressures and increasing demand for care. The need for palliative care is projected to rise by 25% over the next 25 years, with 37,000 people in Wales expected to need palliative and end-of-life care each year by the 2040s.

Already, hospices across Wales are reporting surging patient referrals, increased crisis care and respite demand, and greater support needs for families. Yet most Welsh hospices still rely on charitable donations to meet around 70% of their care costs, with many warning that services will have to reduce or close without urgent reform to funding arrangements.

Hospices across Wales have warned that rising costs and staff shortages are threatening their ability to provide crisis and respite care.

They are also having to cope with the funding challenge of the UK Government’s increase to national insurance.

The warning comes amid news that 2 in 5 hospices nationally are planning cuts this year, with 50% of children’s hospices saying they may reduce or stop providing end-of-life care altogether if new funding is not guaranteed within six months. More than half of hospices ended the 2024-5 financial year in deficit, with one in five seeing a deficit of over £1m.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the UK & Welsh governments to:

·       Reverse the National Insurance hike that costs hospices £40 million across the UK.

·       Deliver a National Commissioning Framework and Sustainable Funding Settlement for hospices.

·       Ensure pay parity with the NHS for hospice staff to help retain skilled professionals.

·       Create consistent and sustainable contracts for hospices across Wales.

·       Provide urgent support to address cost-of-living pressures and protect essential hospice services.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said:

“Hospices in Wales are at breaking point, while staff are being laid off and vital beds are being closed. Families are paying the price.

“The Welsh Government must step in now to secure fair, sustainable funding for hospices, ensure pay parity for staff, and protect the care that families rely on at the most difficult time of their lives.

"The UK Government also must reverse their national insurance hike for the charitable and healthcare sectors. 

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are campaigning to save our hospices. No one should face their final days in pain, on a busy hospital ward, or without the comfort and dignity that hospice care provides.”

ENDS