Hundreds Of Hospice Beds And Staff Cut In England Amid Funding Crisis

Hospices successful England are cutting hundreds of beds and unit because of a backing crisis, contempt a crisp emergence successful request for palliative care, a damning study warns.

People needing extremity of life attraction faced a postcode lottery because entree to services was truthful patchy, nan National Audit Office (NAO) reported.

A deficiency of authorities oversight meant ministers were unaware of really reliant they were connected independent hospices, its 52-page study found.

The NAO said astir two-thirds of independent hospices successful England reported a shortage successful 2023-24. Overall expenditure was £78m much than income generated.

As a result, services person been slashed and hospices forced to trim nan number of beds disposable for dying group and those pinch life-limiting conditions. At nan extremity of 2024, astir 300 inpatient beds were “deregistered aliases withdrawn from operation”, nan study found, though immoderate could person been because of a penchant for being cared for astatine home.

Hospices person been forced to trim backmost connected staff, nan NAO added, contempt nan truth that request for palliative attraction was increasing.

The NAO highlighted “variation” successful wherever hospices were situated crossed England, owing to nan “unplanned way” they person developed complete nan past fewer decades.

Experts said nan study showed nan “inconsistency and insufficiency” successful really hospices were funded. In 2023-24, astir 29% of income for hospices came from nan government. Most of their income was generated from charitable sources, specified arsenic kindness shops and donations, nan NAO reported.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England had nary thought “how reliant they are connected nan sector” because they did not cognize what proportionality of palliative attraction successful England was provided by nan independent hospice sector.

Gareth Davies, nan caput of nan NAO, said: “Independent hospices play a cardinal domiciled successful providing palliative and extremity of life attraction and supply prime for group astatine nan extremity of their lives.

“With galore much group expected to want hospice attraction successful nan future, it is important that nan assemblage is financially resilient. DHSC and NHSE should measure really they would meet accrued request for palliative and extremity of life attraction should services delivered by independent big hospices beryllium insufficient.”

Sam Royston, nan executive head for investigation and argumentation astatine Marie Curie, said nan NAO findings echoed nan “crisis” he witnessed successful nan assemblage each day.

The main executive of Sue Ryder, James Sanderson, said nan study exposed nan authorities for not having “a clear image of nan worth of hospices”.

The DHSC said hospices did “incredible work” to support people, and it recognised nan “incredibly tough” pressures they faced.

The NAO study covered a play nether nan erstwhile government, a spokesperson added. “Since then, we’ve made nan biggest finance successful a procreation – £100m – to amended hospice accommodation and person committed to £80m for children’s and young people’s hospices complete 3 years.

“We recognise location is much to do, and we are exploring really we tin amended nan access, value and sustainability of all-age palliative attraction and extremity of life attraction successful statement pinch nan 10-year wellness plan.”