Hospices across North Wales are set to benefit from a £4.3 million funding package from the Welsh Government, aimed at helping both adult and children’s services meet rising costs and maintain vital care.

The investment comes as part of new national commissioning guidance — the first of its kind — designed to ensure a fairer and more consistent approach to hospice and palliative care services across Wales.

The reforms will pave the way for a streamlined national commissioning model from April 2027, helping to reduce the current inequities in access to specialist care.

Locally, adult hospices such as St Kentigern Hospice, St. David's and children’s hospices including Ty Gobaith will all benefit from the additional support. These organisations provide essential care for patients and families during the most difficult times, enabling people to spend their final days with dignity, comfort, and compassion close to home.

Around 35,000 people die in Wales each year, with up to 29,000 requiring palliative care. Yet the sector continues to face financial pressures, rising energy costs, workforce shortages, and increasing demand for complex care.

Currently, around a quarter of people in Wales do not have access to a hospice or equivalent specialist service, highlighting the need for reform.

The one-off stabilisation grant will help North Wales hospices continue their commissioned NHS care, while the new commissioning guidance sets the foundations for longer-term sustainability. By 2027, funding will be more predictable, and services will be commissioned based on local need, ensuring high-quality care is available for everyone.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles said: “Hospices provide valued and trusted care to thousands of people and families at the most difficult time in their lives. They enable people to spend their final days with dignity, comfort and compassion, surrounded by those they love.

“This grant will provide immediate support to help hospices continue their vital work. With the new commissioning guidance, we are laying the foundations for a fairer, more sustainable future for hospice care in Wales.”

For North Wales communities, this investment ensures that local adults and children in need of palliative care will continue to receive expert, compassionate support — and that hospices can plan for the future with greater financial stability.