Political opinion: Leigh Ingham MP welcomes £300k funding boost for Katharine House Hospice
Katharine House Hospice in Stafford is set to receive £292,620 from the Labour Government’s £75 million national investment in hospices. Local MP Leigh Ingham is celebrating the announcement, having arranged a visit from the Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock, and consistently championing the hospice’s work since entering Parliament.
This follows a £97,658 cash injection earlier this year that Katharine House Hospice has used to fund IT upgrades. The upgrades will make it easier for nurses to see patient information all in one place, saving time on admin and allowing them to spend more quality time with patients.
More than 170 hospices across England will receive a share of the funding to ensure patients receive the highest quality end-of-life care in comfortable, dignified surroundings with upgrades including specially adapted beds, rooms, and technology.
Richard Soulsby, Chief Executive of Katharine House Hospice said: “This Government funding will enable us to further develop our patient systems, including introducing electronic prescribing, which is a safer and more efficient way of managing patient medications. We will be able to further modernise our IT systems and improve facilities for our patients.
“We are pleased that hospice care is in the spotlight and there is greater understanding of the benefits of good palliative care. Hospices can be vital in delivering high-quality, community-based care for people at the end of their lives, which directly supports the Government’s recent NHS 10-year plan to increase care in the community. People across mid-Staffordshire have a right to high-quality, integrated palliative care services. We look forward to more conversations on hospices’ role in this and the need to develop a sustainable hospice funding model.”
Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, Eccleshall, and the villages said: “I’m really glad that speaking up about hospice funding and bringing the Minister to Katharine House Hospice has helped make a difference. Katharine House Hospice do an amazing job supporting people at the end of their lives, and the care and kindness their team shows every day is just incredible.”
Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “I have seen first-hand how our funding is already making a real difference to improving facilities for patients and families. This additional funding will deliver further upgrades, relieving pressure on day-to-day spending.”
The new cash injection is for the financial year 2025/26 and will be distributed by Hospice UK to hospices. Hospices have been allocated a pot of funding and will be able to proceed with upgrades, invoicing Hospice UK once work has been completed.
