Hospice Alliance Northern Ireland launches new Vision report

The report brings together the priorities of hospices across Northern Ireland and sets out five areas for action: fair access to care, more care delivered closer to home, a strong and skilled workforce, sustainable funding and better commissioning, and stronger leadership, partnership and innovation.

Hospice UK was pleased to support the development of the report and attended its launch in Belfast, alongside hospice leaders, partners, decision makers, patients and families.

Hospice UK welcomes the report and its call for action to ensure people across Northern Ireland can access high-quality palliative and end of life care.

Aileen Morton, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Hospice UK said: “We welcome this important report, which sets out a clear vision for the future of hospice care in Northern Ireland and demonstrates the vital role hospices play in supporting patients, families and the wider health and care system.

“Demand for palliative care is growing, yet too many people are already missing out on the support they need. At the same time, hospices are having to raise millions of pounds every year to fund essential services. This is simply not sustainable.

“Everyone who needs palliative and end of life care should be able to access the right support, at the right time and in the right place. Achieving that will require long-term, sustainable funding, better planning and continued partnership between government, health services and hospices.

“We look forward to working with the Hospice Alliance Northern Ireland to help turn this vision into reality and ensure hospice care is there for everyone who needs it, now and in the future.”

For more information and to read the report, visit the Hospice Alliance Northern Ireland website.

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….from the Hospice Alliance Northern Ireland press release:

The four hospice charities that make up HANI – Evora Hospice Care, Foyle Hospice, Marie Curie Northern Ireland, and Northern Ireland Hospice (including Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice) – were joined by healthcare professionals, policymakers, palliative care patients and their families at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, for the launch of With The End In Mind: Delivering equitable, quality and sustainable hospice care for Northern Ireland.

The report warns that maintaining the status quo is no longer an option, with access to care varying according to geography, diagnosis, service availability and how people enter the health and social care system.

HANI is calling for Government, commissioners and the wider Health and Social Care system to act quickly to address these inequalities and ensure access is based on need – not postcode or circumstance.

Economic analysis commissioned by HANI estimates that up to 19,000 people could benefit from palliative care each year by 2036, almost 17% more than in 2024. This comes against existing unmet need, with UK-wide research indicating that around one in three people who die have unmet palliative care needs.

Exerts from the Executive Summary:

The Hospice Alliance Northern Ireland has developed this report to set out a shared vision for the future of hospice care. Drawing on the collective experience of Northern Ireland’s four hospice providers, it highlights the difference hospice care makes, examines the challenges facing the sector and presents a practical framework for delivering more equitable, high-quality and sustainable services in the years ahead. Our vision is simple: everyone in Northern Ireland who could benefit from palliative care can access the right support, at the right time, in the right place and in a way that reflects what matters most to them and their families.

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Hospice care is not an optional addition to Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care system. It is a core part of the care people and families rely upon at some of the most vulnerable points in their lives. Investment in hospice care should therefore be viewed as investment in essential health service capacity, improving outcomes for patients and families while supporting a more effective and sustainable Health and Social Care system.

Executive Summary

Hospice+Alliance+NI+Vision+Report+2026+FINAL

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