The government has announced £80 million of support for children's hospices over three years.

£26 million a year is aimed at ensuring services can continue supporting families during the most challenging times.

This funding will be adjusted for inflation and distributed through local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), on behalf of NHS England.

There are currently around 99,000 children across the UK are living with life-limiting conditions – such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, brain or spinal injuries. Hospices can provide care, support and wraparound services for these children and their families.

Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said: “Children’s hospices provide invaluable support to children, families and loved ones facing unimaginable challenges.

“Through this funding, we are making sure hospices can continue delivering invaluable, compassionate, and high-quality care to children and their families – and ending the cliff edge of short-sighted, annual funding cycles – providing certainty for children’s hospices, but crucially for those they care for."

Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said: “This is a welcome and significant first step to placing the children’s hospice sector on a sustainable footing. The stability provided by a multi-year settlement will have a real impact on the care children’s hospices provide and the families they support.

"We look forward to working with the government on long-term reforms which are essential to safeguarding all hospice services and ensuring they can play their role in the shift towards more care delivered in the community.”