TOBY PORTER
HOSPICE UK has long warned of the growing financial pressure on sites, which are facing their worst situation in 20 years.
Rising costs and stalled funding have left hospices making service cuts despite rising demand for their care.
Local communities loyally support their hospices. But they cannot be expected to make up shortfalls left by Government funding.
I am so sad to see dedicated hospice staff facing redundancy in some areas. Such job losses would be unthinkable in maternity services or GP practices.
When hospices cut services, patients are redirected to an already overburdened NHS.
This increases costs to the taxpayer, jams hospital beds, and deprives people of compassionate care.
Priority
We have no choice but to pay our brilliant hospice staff a fair wage.They deserve the same pay as their NHS counterparts. So the recently announced 5.5% pay increase for NHS staff is another financial blow for hospices.
While we back fair pay for all healthcare staff, we don’t know how hospices will find the funds.We estimate it’ll cost £66million to match the NHS pay rise.Where will this money come from? More second-hand clothes sales? More marathon runs?
It is not realistic to expect local communities to give more generously than they already do.
An immediate priority for the new Labour government must be to understand and address these challenges.
Hospices are proud of the work they do, and of how much of what they do is made possible by the generous support of local communities.
They would not be closing services if they didn’t have to. They would not be asking for more Government support if they didn’t need it.