20.10.2025
Brian House has today welcomed the news that children’s hospices across the country will receive almost £80 million in funding over the next three years.
But bosses at the Bispham hospice say that, as the country’s second-least funded hospice, they hope the funding is representative of the difference these charities make to local families, and enough to cover the critical funding challenge hospices are currently facing.
Children’s Hospices receive grant funding each year from the government to contribute towards their annual running costs. But until now, each year’s funding was never guaranteed.
Thursday’s announcement by the Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, pledged that £26 million – which is set to rise with inflation – will be allocated to children’s hospices each year for the next three years. It means that the charities can plan for the next three years with confidence that funding will be available to provide care and support to children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in their communities.
The announcement comes as children’s hospice umbrella organisation Together for Short Lives campaigned for fairer, consistent funding from the government.
Brian House, which forms part of Trinity Hospice, receives just 11% of its annual running costs from the government grant (the average children’s hospice receives around 22%).
Chief Executive, David Houston, said: “We welcome this news from the Government, and the pledge to keep providing emergency funding to children’s hospices like ours over the next three years. Without it, our statutory funding would have fallen to only approximately 3% of our overall operating costs.
“But as the country’s second-least funded children’s hospice, we hope that this initial recurrent commitment properly recognises the significant funding challenges these vital organisations are still facing and proportionately supports them to ensure that no child – no family – should face serious life-threatening or life-limiting illness alone. It is vital that our local Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Health Board recognises this point too, especially as we can no longer guarantee to support every child who needs us at end of life.
“It costs nearly £2 million each year to run Brian House and provide exception care and support to local families completely free of charge. That means that even with increased funding, we will continue to rely on our community – the people we support – to ensure our doors stay open and our care available for those who need it.
“Thank you to our representatives in parliament for being our voice in these conversations. We are grateful for their commitment to keep advocating for Brian House to receive the funding it needs to guarantee our vital work. We look forward to hearing more about how the Government’s newly committed funding will be allocated.”
Brian House cares for nearly 90 local families, providing respite care and palliative and end-of-life support to children living in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. Nationally, around 99,000 children across the UK are living with life-limiting conditions – such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, brain or spinal injuries – a number that has tripled in the last 20 years.
Nick Carroll, Chief Executive of Together for Short Lives, said: “I warmly welcome this news and thank ministers for listening to families of seriously ill children and those who provide them with the children’s hospice services they rely on.
“Children’s hospices are amazing and create precious moments of joy for seriously ill children and their families. As demand for this lifeline care grows in both volume and complexity, children’s hospices are providing more support than ever before.
“Maintaining and increasing this funding over three years will help to bring some clarity and reassurance to children’s hospices, helping them to plan and deliver care over a longer period. Above all, it will help ensure seriously ill children and their families can continue to access vital hospice care beyond 2025/26.
“I look forward to continuing to work with ministers to make sure children’s hospices are in a position to play a full role in realising the shifts in healthcare set out in the government’s 10 Year Plan. Together, it’s vital that we shape a palliative care delivery plan which means seriously ill children can access high quality, sustainable support in hospital, in the community and in children’s hospices.”
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