Press release
Minister for Health announces all adult hospices to be state-funded
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced the redesignation of four voluntary hospice providers, Marymount Care Centre, Milford Care Centre, Galway Hospice and St. Francis Hospice, from Section 39 service level agreements with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to Section 38 agreements. The redesignation of the four hospice organisations will take place this February 2024.
The redesignation will provide a sustainable model of care for adult specialist palliative care services in Ireland and ensure the provision of these core services into the future. The government is providing a total of €18.6 million to achieve this.
Minister Donnelly said:
"I am delighted to announce that the redesignation will take place this February. It means that all adult hospices in our country will now be fully state-funded. This is a significant step towards our goal of providing universal access to palliative care.
"There has been excellent progress made since the HSE established a National Implementation Group to carry out this transition. I'd like to thank all members of the implementation group for their commitment and hard work. We are rightly very proud of our palliative care services in Ireland.
"The voluntary hospice sector has worked tirelessly down through the years, in partnership with local communities, to expand the network of hospice services around the country. The redesignation will provide financial and staffing sustainability to ensure that these providers of adult specialist palliative care services can continue their vital work. It will strengthen their core services and mean, for example, that fundraising by the hospices will no longer be required to cover payroll or other operational costs such as electricity and heating.
"I acknowledge the essential adult specialist palliative care services provided by these four organisations and the benefits the care they provide give to people with life limiting illnesses and their families. I commend the staff in these four hospices for the vital services they provide and for striving to ensure that patients under your care have the best quality of life."
Currently, approximately 70% of inpatient and 74% of community adult specialist palliative care services are provided by voluntary hospices.
The four hospices (which are being redesignated from Section 39 to Section 38 status) are:
There are approximately 1,300 staff employed across the four hospices.
Provision for the funding of non-statutory bodies is made in Section 38 of the 2004 Health Act. Under Section 38 of the Health Act, the HSE may enter into an arrangement with a service provider for the provision of health and social services on its behalf. Section 38 organisations are fully funded by the State and its employees are public servants.