The review was led by a small team from NHS Wales Health Collaborative, and included analysis of information templates submitted by hospices and interviews. Regular meetings were held with Hospice UK and all hospices to keep them informed of progress with the work. In addition to this, the extent to which statutory funding contributes to voluntary sector services in other UK nations was also considered.

I received the final review in November 2021. The review recommended funding children’s hospices at a 21 per cent contribution of all agreed care costs. Also, the review recommended increasing adult hospices' funding to reflect the estimated inflationary impact on the original funding formula approach. This would include bed and community service costs, and funding the financial impact of implementing additional beds established since 2010-11. I am pleased to say that the Welsh Government has accepted the recommendations of the review, and will be making an additional £2.2 million available to Welsh hospices on a recurring basis from 2022-23 onwards. Eight-hundred-and-eight-eight thousand pounds out of this funding will go to our two children’s hospices, Tŷ Hafan and Tŷ Gobaith.

Phase 2, which is the wider review of all end-of-life-care, statutory and voluntary sector funding, will consider the whole spectrum of care. And it will do so using locally agreed models of care, applying the principles of value-based healthcare, and it will also be guided by the four aims within 'A Healthier Wales'. This phase will be overseen by the soon to be established national programme board for end-of-life care, as has been set out in the national clinical framework. The board will look at the variances in hospices' models of delivery highlighted in phase 1 of the review, as well as the relationships between health boards and hospices.

In summary, today’s oral statement provides a snapshot of the excellent progress made in reviewing voluntary hospice funding to date. This additional funding provides hospices across Wales with a significant increase to their core funding allocations, and offers a level of certainty on which they can plan and deliver future service provision. However, whilst I am encouraged by this progress on hospice funding, I do not underestimate the ongoing challenge for all end-of-life care services ahead. As such, Welsh Government remains committed to strengthening its focus on end-of-life care. We will continue to work closely with the national programme board to drive actions across Government and with stakeholders to improve end-of-life care services for all. Thank you very much.