Speeches by Kinnock.

“Yes, absolutely. Hospices, on average, receive about 30% of their funding from the state—from the NHS. They are a really important partner for us, but they are a kind of hybrid model of some state funding and what they raise through charity. Therefore, we see them as an integral part of what we want to do on commission…”

“We are definitely setting the system a challenge to work more effectively, but our view is that by doing strategic commissioning more effectively, getting a better understanding of the population’s health needs, creating a robust strategy and bringing all the key partners together—including the voluntary sector like ho…”

“Hospice UK has done a report, and it is clear that having that 24/7 telephone line would be extremely beneficial. Coverage is not where it should be, so that is something we are going to be looking at in the modern service framework.”

“There will be an interim report on it in the spring, and finalisation in the autumn.”

“I will be absolutely up front on this. We have a capital budget right across the Department of Health and Social Care. Where there are opportunities for spotting an underspend in a particular area of activity it is my job to go in, roll up my sleeves and fight like hell for my portfolio. A top priority for me in doing …”

“I would never put it in such undiplomatic terms.”

“I think it is about 24%.”

“The £100 million—”

“One of the crucial issues is that the data on inequality of access is not very robust. The policy research unit within the NIHR is doing a deep dive on inequality and trying to give us a more robust dataset around geographic inequality, socioeconomic inequality and inequality along ethnic lines. The first answer to you…”

“That is going to be one of the key points in our modern service framework. We want to set national standards and goals, for example, by looking at having a 24/7 telephone line available everywhere in England at least.”

“Well, NHS England and DHSC will become a new body corporate that does the same thing. It will be the same function, so every ICB is held to account on that basis. The last outturn on that was January 2025. The ICBs have to show that they are discharging their functions. It is our job to hold them to account, and it is …”

“It is a really good example of why we need those national, coherent and consistent standards, approaches and goals. That is precisely because, even if you are a children’s hospice and deal with two or even three different ICBs, you are going to be getting a very similar approach from each of those, rather than the very…”

“Yes, I think it will have to be. It is clearly an area that needs more work.”

“Absolutely. I see no downside whatsoever in getting to 100% on that.”

“I am looking at Sarah, but I am assuming that—”

“Yes, absolutely. There are several key players in the children’s palliative and end-of-life care sector, including, of course, Together for Short Lives, which have a strong voice in the MSF development process.”

“Yes, absolutely. Bereavement support is absolutely vital. We have things like universal principles for advance care planning. Advance care planning is the key to a lot of this because if you get that early identification to work then you start to have those conversations with the patient, their family and their carer s…”

“It is an excellent question. When you have such a complex system, accountability is one of the most difficult things to achieve. For example, looking at the way the CQC works, if there is a local authority that is not doing what it should be in adult social care, it will go into special measures. It gets a “requires im…”

“Every year, ICBs have to provide officials, and ultimately Ministers, with a report on how they have discharged their functions, based on the agreed targets that they have, the quality of patient outcomes and the quality of access—there is a huge panoply of targets and agreed outcomes that we have with the ICBs. Offici…”

“Yes.”