Wednesday 15 October 2025 saw Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, visit Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice in Barnet for a tour of The Ark with the charity’s CEO, Sophie Andrews OBE, and to speak to staff and a family. Whilst at The Ark, Minister Kinnock also made an important announcement about the future of funding for Children’s Hospices.
Minister Kinnock pledged that Children and Young People’s Hospices will receive £80 million over three years in a multi-year settlement. This funding will be adjusted for inflation and distributed through local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), on behalf of NHS England.
For Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, this funding represents around 13% of their yearly income. The charity will still rely heavily on the support from their community and voluntary income in order to be there for the children and families who need them.
Sophie Andrews OBE, CEO of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, said: ‘We were delighted to welcome Minister Kinnock to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice and meet a family who receive our support and those who provide it. The continuation of this funding, which last year represented 13% of our income, marks a significant step forward in securing a sustainable future for children’s hospices.
Whilst this funding is welcomed and will give us a more solid foundation for the next three years, we will still rely heavily on the generosity of our community for the majority of our income. We thank every supporter who continues to stand by Noah’s Ark, helping us be there for more children and 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. Having witnessed firsthand the extraordinary impact of Noah’s Ark, I am determined that children receive the excellent, wraparound care they deserve.’
During the visit, Minister Kinnock spoke to Rose Charles from Whetstone, who attended with her grand-daughter, Sophie Charles, aged 19, who has a life-limiting genetic condition. Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice has supported the family since 2008, they also cared for Sophie’s brother Ben, who sadly died in 2014, from the same condition.
Rose said: ‘The difference that having Noah’s Ark has made is that Sophie is still experiencing a positive life. Noah’s Ark have supported us since 2008 and in so many ways, everything is tailored to the individual.’
Minister Kinnock also spoke to Jo Issacs, Noah’s Ark’s Family Link Team Manager, who has been with the charity for three years and comes from an educational background.
Jo said: ‘We try to offer the best experiences for families at the worst possible time. We’re here to have difficult conversations and to hold families. For children and families, specialised hospice care can mean everything.’
Minister Kinnock also spoke to Elisha Lewis, Noah’s Ark’s Head of Clinical Services. Elisha has been in children’s palliative care for 8 years and has been at Noah’s Ark for almost 6 years.
Elisha said: ‘We let children be children rather than their diagnosis. We provide clinical and holistic care, not just looking after the baby, child or young person but their family, through life and death.’
The visit was also attended by Nick Carroll, Chief Executive of Together for Short Lives, who said of the announcement: ‘I warmly welcome this news and thank ministers for listening to families of seriously ill children and those who provide them with the children’s hospice services they rely on. Children’s hospices are amazing and create precious moments of joy for seriously ill children and their families.
As demand for this lifeline care grows in both volume and complexity, children’s hospices are providing more support than ever before. Maintaining and increasing this funding over three years will help to bring some clarity and reassurance to children’s hospices, helping them to plan and deliver care over a longer period.
Above all, it will help ensure seriously ill children and their families can continue to access vital hospice care beyond 2025/26. I look forward to continuing to work with ministers to make sure children’s hospices are in a position to play a full role in realising the shifts in healthcare set out in the government’s 10 Year Plan. Together, it’s vital that we shape a palliative care delivery plan which means seriously ill children can access high quality, sustainable support in hospital, in the community and in children’s hospices.”
