It is often said that there are two certainties in life – death and taxes.

We speak quite freely about one of these topics – taxes – by saying we are paying too much, and that despite that, the government should be spending more!

When we start paying taxes, our hope is that the money which is taken out of our wages is spent in a way which we agree with; it’s fair to say that is not often the case!

It can often be frustrating for politicians, who have a definitive amount of money in the budget to decide where the money should be spent.

It is always pleasant to say yes to those lobbying for public money for a worthy proposal, but often the reality is that there just isn’t enough public money to do all the things you as a politician would like to support.

It was former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who reminded us that there no such thing as public money – there is only taxpayers’ money.

She was of course correct, and often when I hear politicians in opposition say they would fund a whole myriad of projects, I ask myself which other service are they going to cut?

Over half of the block grant funding which we receive from Westminster is now administered by the Health Department in Northern Ireland.

All the other Departments have to split up what is left, including the second-highest spending Department: Education.

The health budget seems to only go in one direction, which is why the Bengoa report, agreed to by all political parties in 2016, said we needed the health service to be properly funded, but also reformed.

Why then, despite all that I have said about finite budgets and priorities, am I asking for more funding for hospice services and end-of-life care? Let me explain.

It is often said that the National Health Service is one of ‘The Jewels in the Crown of the United Kingdom’.

As we all have grown up with the system, we take it for granted, and expect it to be there when we need it.

From the moment we are born, the NHS is there for us and our families, and midwifery and obstetrics have developed and modernised.

My late mother-in-law was a midwife in the old County hospital, and would be amazed at the modern services we now have.

Obstetric services are fully funded by public money but end-of-life services have to rely on charitable donations, and I find that unacceptable.

We come into the world and are looked after very well by the NHS, but as we reach the end of life, it appears fully funding what we need then is not a priority.

Why is it that community palliative care, hospices, children’s hospices and almost all out-of-hours palliative care are predominately maintained through charity, and not within core healthcare?

Is the NHS not ‘cradle to the grave’?

The government, using public money – our taxes – do put some money into hospices, but to my mind, not enough.

The Sue Ryder independent report in 2021 outlined that the government covers just 37 per cent of hospice costs annually – that means that the sector itself must fundraise £597 million every year.

The huge gap is filled by selling cardigans, charity walks and donations – there will always be a role for fundraising as the government will not be able to fund all the services of hospices, but 37 per cent is too little.

Our unsung heroes are our hospice volunteers, but surely, they shouldn’t have to carry the load they currently bear?

Palliative care and hospice services are not a luxury add-on to the health service.

Often the health service relies heavily on hospice services when there is nothing more a hospital can do.

The out-of- hours palliative care services support people to stay in their own homes and out of hospital in their final days.

In our Trust area, these services are run by Foyle Hospice, and provide a vital service for those nearing the end of life in a dignified way.

Adequate funding for hospices is not just a matter of compassion, but a strategic investment for our healthcare system – if there is no hospice care, it puts huge pressure and strain on the wider NHS.

For me, investing more in our hospices would save money in the wider NHS, and that is why I am supporting the call for more government funding for our hospices and the end-of-life care which they provide.

It is an ‘invest to save’ policy, and therefore should be looked at meaningfully by the government at Westminster, and here in Northern Ireland.

I believe investing more in hospices will be cost-effective, as well as creating a more caring society that deals with death in a compassionate way.

Do we want a society that values all of life, including dying well and with dignity?

Do we want to live in a society where people who are dying are denied help from a hospice due to a lack of funding?

And as we all know we have an ageing population – especially here in the west – are we going to ignore that reality, or accept that we need specialist palliative care as part of the NHS to deal with these issues?

Everyone is born, and everyone dies. As a society, let’s try and make both of these events as humane as we can.