St John’s Hospice in Lancaster is to receive £133,210 in government funding to support improvement of its service.

The north west has received £3,412,175 in hospice funding, after Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock confirmed that hospices across England will receive more capital funding to support essential upgrades.

This money, allocated to individual hospices – including St John’s – by Hospice UK, will help fund urgent building repairs, better facilities and patient rooms, new outdoor spaces, and improved IT equipment.

Hospices will be able to spend their allocation before the end of 2025-26.

The additional investment follows the government’s commitment to a multi-year settlement of £80m across England for children’s hospices over three years, providing certainty for vital services providing support for seriously ill children and families.

Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said: "I am delighted that this additional cash boost of £3.4m has now been allocated to hospices across the north west.

“I thank Hospice UK for facilitating this so quickly, so hospices can swiftly contract any vital work and upgrades – making sure patients are being treated in the best possible environment.

A St John's Hospice spokesperson said that while welcoming the cash injection, it was a short-term measure of two months, which will provide “modest support” with issues such as maintenance and hardware costs.

However, as capital funding it cannot be used to pay the salaries of the hospice teams, which represent around 80% of the costs to run 24/7 hospice care.

Sue McGraw, chief executive, St John's Hospice said: “We welcome any investment that helps with challenges such as hospice building repairs and IT kit.

"Nonetheless, our care is delivered by people and we are not allowed to use this funding for the salary costs of the specialist support given by hospice doctors, nurses and wider teams who provide St John's care 24/7, 365 days a year e.g. in hospices, patients’ homes and neighbourhoods.

“That’s why we’re continuing to work closely with Lancashire South Cumbria Integrated Care Board on a joint business case for sustainable and long-term funding to help with years of care.

"The Integrated Care Board recognises the significant pressures facing hospices and the irreplaceable role hospice charities play in supporting tens of thousands of patients in the Lancashire and south Cumbria area.”