Written question asked by Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 28 November 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 1 December 2011. It was answered by Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 1 December 2011 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Palliative Care: Finance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 352W, on palliative care, what steps he has taken to ensure that hospitals receive adequate funding for palliative care in proportion to the amount of such care provided.

Answer: It is the responsibility of commissioners to decide how much money is allocated for specific services at a local level.The Government have made a commitment to develop a per-patient funding system for palliative care. The independent Palliative Care Funding Review, which we set up in summer 2010, was asked to make recommendations on how we can develop a per-patient funding system that encourages more community-based care, supports people to choose from whom they receive the care they need; and that will be fair to all organisations involved.The review has come up with a range of significant proposals which we now need to consider in detail. This work will be informed by local palliative care funding pilots which will collect a range of data to help test the review's recommendations. The call for expressions of interest in being a pilot site was published on 28 November 2011 and the pilots will be established from April 2012. The aim is have to have a new funding system in place by 2015.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 84430; 536 c1105W
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Palliative Care
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Finance Palliative care
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk