Hundreds Of Hospice Beds Unused Amid Financial Crisis

Some 380 hospice beds retired of astir 2,000 dishonesty quiet successful England because of financial pressures, opportunity bosses.

Hospice UK has told BBC News this is up from 300 a twelvemonth agone and illustrates nan terrible challenges facing nan sector.

Beds are near quiet to prevention money - since staffing and caring is costly - and truthful are unavailable to patients.

Hospices are tally by charities, raising betwixt 2 thirds and 3 quarters of their income from donations and backstage money raising. They dangle connected nan remainder from nan NHS, and managers opportunity this backing has not kept gait pinch costs, specified arsenic employer nationalist insurance.

Hospice leaders opportunity their organisations are "on nan brink of a financial crisis".

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said nan authorities had already invested £100 cardinal to amended hospice accommodation and had committed £80 cardinal 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 Health Plan," a spokesperson added.

Hospice UK says 5 of its members person announced "cost reductions" aliases cutbacks since early October. In immoderate cases occupation losses are being made.

One of them is Ashgate Hospice successful Derbyshire which has warned unit that 52 are astatine consequence of redundancy. Bed numbers are besides being reduced - from 15 to six - and nan proposals would mean 600 less patients being cared for each year.

The hospice has blamed power bills and rising unit salaries pinch NHS backing not matching nan increases.

Meanwhile, Arthur Rank Hospice successful Cambridge says a trim successful NHS backing will mean inpatient beds being reduced from 21 to 12 – what it described arsenic "a devastating decision".

Garden House Hospice Care successful Hertfordshire has announced what it calls "the astir superior financial situation successful its history" and has launched a consultation process which whitethorn lead to much than 20 redundancies.

Charlie King, Director of External Affairs astatine Hospice UK, said: "The financial business facing hospices is untenable, pinch moreover much beds retired of usage this twelvemonth than past year.

"We cognize galore hospices person waiting lists and request for extremity of life attraction is rising, truthful it's not a lawsuit of deficiency of demand. Hospices desperately want to scope everyone who needs them, but financial unit is holding them back."

Mr King based on that an overhaul of hospice backing was needed because ministers were pushing for much attraction to beryllium shifted from hospitals into nan community. He added that pinch assisted dying perchance connected nan horizon, well-funded extremity of life attraction would beryllium a captious safeguard.

Ministers unveiled an emergency backing scheme this twelvemonth pinch £100 cardinal disposable for hospices successful England. But nan money was specifically for superior spending connected improving buildings and accommodation alternatively than for time to time moving costs. Funding for early years for big hospices has yet been announced though nan Government has travel up pinch an £80 cardinal 3 twelvemonth scheme for childrens' hospices.