Sector news and member updates

We understand that these are challenging times for generating income, and we want to help. That’s why we’re offering our members the opportunity to partner with local businesses to offer our range of wellbeing products, with 25% of any referral going directly to support your hospice.
 
We created Compassionate Employers to help organisations care for their employees during difficult times—whether they’re facing grief, loss, or caregiving responsibilities. We provide HR policy reviews and workforce bereavement training to support businesses in nurturing a compassionate workplace. These services can be booked individually to best meet the needs of their employees.
 
Together, we can make a difference, for your hospice and the wider community.
 
Join our Hospice Income Generation Leaders network to find out more about this opportunity, or contact the Compassionate Employers team.

Keep up-to-date with discussions and activity around assisted dying by bookmarking our information page for members.

Over 100 MPs attended our pop-up charity shop in Parliament, to learn more about the impact of hospice retail and the outdated government funding model.

Our thanks to St Christopher's for their support with this event.

Download a list of MPs who attended here.

The next article in our Nursing Times palliative care series is now available to read. It explores the challenges of managing symptoms with medication at the end of life.

This piece was written by Sally-Anne Francis, Eunice Sirkett, Emily Anderson and Sarah Yardley.

If you do not subscribe to Nursing Times, you can still read one article for free per month.

The Care Quality Commission has published the findings of a review of the single assessment framework and its implementation.

Key findings include:

• The single assessment framework is far too complex and does not allow for the huge differences in size, complexity and range of functions of the services that CQC regulates.
• The previous sense of partnership with CQC to develop effective approaches to assessment of quality has been lost.
• CQC has started to take steps to mitigate some of the problems identified in the report. However, the organisation needs to go much further.

The Independent inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case has published preliminary findings and recommendations on the funeral sector in England.

The inquiry was established to investigate how David Fuller was able to carry out inappropriate and unlawful actions in the mortuary of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and why they went apparently unnoticed.

This report is part of Phase Two of the inquiry, which considers the broader national picture and wider lessons for the NHS and other settings (including hospices). However, this interim report focuses specifically on the funeral sector.

Scottish Government has launched a consultation on its draft palliative care strategy for 2025 - 2030; Palliative Care Matters for All. 

We will be responding to the consultation, and engaging with Scottish hospices over the coming weeks. Please also consider submitting your own hospice response.

The consultation closes on 10 January 2025.