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Earlier this month department officials said there was not the money to implement palliative care recommendations made by Stormont's Health Committee
A U-turn by the Department of Health (DoH) over funding for hospices in Northern Ireland has been welcomed by end-of-life care providers.
The DoH has now pledged £1.1m in funding for NI's four hospices, and £500,000 for the Children's Hospice.
However, the new payments are one-offs, and will not be repeated unless further money is allocated in the future. The Hospice Alliance met Health Minister Mike Nesbitt on Wednesday.
At present, 30% of hospice services are government funded with the rest coming from fundraising.
One of the recommendations in the report was that all hospice care services receive 100% funding.
The health committee recommended that legislation should be introduced to ensure the commissioning and funding of palliative care in Northern Ireland.
'13,000 patients and 30,000 home visits'
The Hospice Alliance has welcomed the department's funding announcement but said the long-term future of the service must be secured too
The Hospice Alliance comprises Foyle Hospice, Evora Hospice, Marie Curie NI and the Northern Ireland Hospice.
Its CEO, Trevor McCartney, welcomed the funding and said "it's really good news for the hospice sector" which "has been suffering from a genuine crisis of funding".
"We're in a situation where the fundraising we would normally get is starting to become more and more difficult, so this is absolutely critical funding."
He said the money "will go directly towards patient care", stating the hospice sector cares for about 13,000 people and performs 30,000 community visits per year."
In a statement, the Hospice Alliance said, while the £1.6m will help in the immediate, securing services in the long-term is crucial.
"While this funding helps to address the current financial challenges facing hospices in the short term, the more important aspect is the minister's commitment that he and his department will work constructively with us to secure a fair and sustainable long-term funding model, in line with the recommendations set out in the health committee inquiry.
"This will ensure that, as we enter the 2027/28 financial year, there will be clarity and stability in place for hospice services for the years ahead," said the alliance.
DoH officials previously told members of the health committee that implementing a 100% funding model for hospices would be "challenging" given the current financial constraints on its budget.
MLAs were highly critical of the department's stance.
What was in the health committee report?
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Only 30% of hospice services are government funded
The health committee's report into palliative care, published last December, found significant gaps in the provision of services, and "many" examples of patients having to be treated and dying in emergency departments as an out-of-hours service was not available.
Earlier this month the committee recommended that legislation should be introduced to ensure the commissioning and funding of palliative care in Northern Ireland.
Other recommendations included that a regional independent palliative care clinical lead be appointed, and palliative services are prioritised.
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Mike Nesbitt said he wants to work closely with hospices to help them provide quality care for patients
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: "I welcome the hospice's commitment to work with my department to help develop the future of palliative care services.
"This investment will help alleviate some of the financial pressures hospices face and reduce the risk to the essential services hospices provide.
"I have also committed to undertaking an independent review of the comparator used in the funding model for hospice services, to ensure the model is fit for purpose going forward."
