Lib Dem MP joins calls for action to protect London’s vital hospice services

Luke Taylor MP for Sutton and Cheam and frontbench spokesperson for London has backed a Liberal Democrat campaign in Parliament to protect local hospice services, warning that many “are on the brink of collapse unless Government ministers step in now.”

It follows on from his long-running campaign to secure a long-term funding settlement for hospices - which led to him introducing the Hospices and Healthcare (Report on Funding) Bill in Parliament last year.

The MP has worked closely with St Raphael’s hospice in North Cheam and HospiceUK to continue to raise the profile of the funding crisis in hospice care over the last year - a campaign which has now been underscored by several other Liberal Democrat colleagues.

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.

Sector hospice leaders are cautioning that “time is running out” for hospices across England.

The Liberal Democrats are putting pressure on Wes Streeting to step in. They have launched a campaign to “save our hospices” - with calls to end the postcode lottery of care by allocating funding based on need, and for protected ringfenced funding for children’s hospices. They are also demanding that April’s national insurance hike, which has cost hospices £34m, be urgently reversed, and for additional support to protect bereavement services.

The party’s Care Spokesperson Alison Bennett will table a Bill in Parliament this week as part of the campaign, to guarantee universal access to hospices and require the Secretary of State to come clean on the current gap in hospice funding.

Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor said:

“Hospices across London are at breaking point, while across the country staff are laid off and beds are closed. Families are paying the price.

“I’ve seen firsthand the amazing work that hospices do in my own constituency - with the fantastic St Raph’s hospice continuing to provide excellent care. But they are facing mounting costs and serious challenges to their long-term future, just like hospices across London and the whole country.

“It is unacceptable to leave hospices in such a worrying and uncertain situation. It’s not just that we need hospice care - hospices need our care too.

“The Government must step in now and answer our calls to protect children’s hospice funding, reverse the National Insurance hike that costs hospices £34 million, and make sure funding always matches local need.

“Liberal Democrats are campaigning to save our hospices. No one should face their final days in pain, on a busy hospital ward, or even in isolation because government ministers are asleep at the wheel.”