Hospice calls for 'fairer funding' from government

Staff from a Derbyshire hospice joined others from across the country at Westminster as part of a call "for fairer funding" for palliative and end-of-life care.

Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield attended the event in Parliament, where hospice teams met with MPs to discuss the "growing pressures" facing the sector and the need for "sustainable funding".

In December, the hospice cut 19 roles across clinical and support teams, including five inpatient unit nurses in a bid to save £2.6m.

Medical director Jamie Mayers said: "Being in Westminster gave us the chance to speak directly to MPs about what that means for our community and why sustainable funding matters.

The end-of-life care service, which employs more than 350 people, cited inflation, rising energy bills, and staff salaries as contributors to rising running costs.

On Wednesday, hospice leaders met with MPs to discuss the "widening gap" between the cost of providing specialist care and the funding available to deliver it.

Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, said nearly six in 10 hospices had already made or were considering cuts to their frontline services.

He added a one-off investment of £100m for hospices, distributed by Hospice UK, was provided by the government in the last financial year but the body was now calling for recurring funding.

Mayers said: "Every day on our wards [at Ashgate] and in the community, we see the difference specialist hospice care makes to people living with life-limiting illnesses.

"These are services that people in North Derbyshire rely on at some of the most difficult times in their lives.

"We are determined to stand up for our patients, our teams and our community, and to keep making the case for fair funding so everyone who needs specialist end of life care can access it."

In a statement the Department for Health and Social Care said it will soon set out ways to modernise and improve the palliative and end-of-life care sector, as part of plans to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community.

Earlier this year, The Charity Commission said it would review Ashgate Hospice's regulatory processes after concerns were raised over its financial position.

In response the charity said it "welcomed" the process as it wanted to "draw a clear line under misinformation" and reassure that its finances were managed responsibly.

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