Responding to today’s vote in which MPs rejected the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at Second Reading, and to the renewed calls from Hospice UK for the government to fix palliative care funding and provision, Louise Bryan, CEO and Finance Director of Havens Hospices, said:
“I share the sentiment raised by my fellow hospice leaders today. At Havens Hospices, we will always respect each person’s right to make their own decisions and pass no judgement on those choices. Whatever someone’s view on assisted dying, we remain committed to offering our care and support to anyone who needs us.
“Today’s vote means the law will not change for now, but it should not change the focus on the thing everyone can agree on: everyone approaching the end of their life should be able to access high-quality, compassionate palliative and hospice care when they need it. This needs meaningful action from those in power, both locally and nationally.
“For Havens Hospices, that means being there for people in their most vulnerable moments — helping manage pain and symptoms so someone is as comfortable as possible, sitting with them and their family in their final hours so no one faces that alone, and giving people the dignity and choice that expert care makes possible. People need true choice at the end of their life, and that only exists when the right care is there to support it.
“Hospices across the country are facing significant and growing financial pressures, and there is an urgent need for increased, sustainable and equitable statutory funding.
“Here in Essex, the number of people we care for has almost doubled in the last five years, showing the increasing demand for our care. Yet less than 10% of our total income for specialist palliative care currently comes from statutory funding, and our community funds the vast majority of the specialist care we provide, despite that care being an essential part of the wider health and care system. We are enormously grateful for that generosity, but charitable giving should complement properly funded healthcare, not be relied upon to subsidise essential NHS-commissioned services.
“Our colleagues in the NHS and Integrated Care Board are themselves working within considerable financial constraints, so national government has an important role to play. We need dedicated funding for palliative and end-of-life care, so that local commissioners can put hospice funding onto a fair and sustainable footing.
“Today’s vote doesn’t remove the urgency of this issue — if anything, it makes the need even more pressing. No one facing the end of their life should ever feel that a lack of access to good palliative care has limited the choices available to them.
“We continue to work with Hospice UK as they represent the sector’s voice in this debate.”
Published 11th September 2026
