Children's hospice charity seeks stable funding as annual costs rise

East Anglia's Children's Hospices is calling for more dependable government funding after higher employer National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage added almost £1 million to its annual costs. Chief executive Kevin Clements said the charity was taking pressure off the NHS while relying heavily on public donations and shop income.

The charity, known as EACH, operates hospices in Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich and supports families in the community, at home and in hospital. About 85% of its funding comes from donations and charity-shop sales, with 15% from government. Its targets this year include £8.4 million from fundraising and £10.9 million in retail income.

Clements said long-term support would reduce dependence on repeated appeals to the public. The wider fundraising backdrop is difficult: Charities Aid Foundation figures put UK giving in 2025 at £14 billion, £1.4 billion below 2024. The proportion donating was 55%, compared with 69% ten years earlier.

Local political responses differed. Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner defended difficult fiscal decisions and the need to maintain the NHS. Cambridgeshire council leader Lucy Nethsingha said the government had inherited serious financial problems. Suffolk Conservative group leader Richard Rout called for charities to be exempted from the additional National Insurance burden.

The Department of Health and Social Care praised hospices and said it was committed to improving palliative care and addressing regional differences. It said most hospices are independent charities receiving some statutory funding for NHS services while raising the balance themselves. The funding appeal does not itself amount to an announcement of a new government allocation.