Campaigners warn NHS 'cannot afford hospice cuts'

Loros hospice is the latest in a string of hospices around the UK which have been forced to look at cutting staff jobs

A campaign group has warned the NHS cannot afford to take on extra pressure from widespread cuts to hospices.

Hospice UK, which works to protect and promote the sector, has spoken out after Leicestershire-based Loros became the latest in a string of hospice groups across the UK to announce it was looking to cut jobs due to a funding shortfall.

The Department for Health and Social Care has said it is providing an extra £25m to hospices with a further £75m to come.

Hospice UK says the funding is welcome but it is only a start to helping cover the costs of the 310,000 people hospices look after each year, who would have "nowhere else to go" without their services.

Charlie King, deputy director of social affairs at Hospice UK, said hospices help 310,000 people a year but receive only a third of their funding from the government

Charlie King, deputy director of social affairs at Hospice UK, said: "A lot of people probably do not realise just how reliant hospices are on charitable fundraising.

"Most hospices on average get only a third of their funding from the government.

"In a civilised modern society it's not quite right to fund such vital services for people at the end of life with such a heavy reliance on charity.

"Hospices take the pressure off the NHS because every person who is cared for by a hospice does not need to be cared for by the NHS.

"To put it bluntly, the NHS cannot afford for the hospices to continue to reduce their services, because where else are these people going to go?"

The chief executive of Loros has warned they will not be able to look after every patient without ongoing support

Loros, which provides end of life care in patients' homes as well as at its base near Glenfield Hospital, costs £932 an hour to run and needs to raise £9m every year to cover its costs.

It receives only about 20% of its funding from the public purse.

Rising costs including higher utility bills, coupled with a reduction in donations from legacies, have left the organisation with a £1.5m funding gap.

It has been forced to announce plans to restructure its services, which include consulting a number of staff on the future of their jobs.

Loros chief executive Rob Parkinson said the last thing they want to do is make cuts, but it may be unavoidable

In his annual fundraising letter, which was sent to supporters of the charity since the consultation over jobs started, chief executive Rob Parkinson warned hospices "simply won't be able to care for every patient" without ongoing support.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leicester, he said: "We are doing everything we can to try to bring costs down in a way that has as little impact on patients as possible.

"But it will still have an impact and there will inevitably be some reduction in what we do."

He added: "Over the next 20 or so years, we are going to see a large increase in the demand for end of life care and we need to prepare for that, not just at Loros, but as a community."

Loros has said it is grateful for the extra government funding, but pointed out it can only be spent on building projects and not to pay staff wages, which is its largest cost.

Where will I get the support?

Ryan Archer was told his cancer was terminal around eight years ago and organises a festive tractor run in Lutterworth to support Loros as a thank you for the help and support he has been given by the charity.

He said: "I receive care from the NHS in Nottingham, but I do not have a direct line to the doctor, I do not have a direct line to care in the community, I do not have a direct line to a nurse.

"I was in dire straits recently with pain in my spine and there was no one at the NHS I could get hold of to help me, but Loros were there at the end of the phone and said 'come in for a few days and we will help you get your pain under control'.

"They are amazing and supported me immediately - and where else am I going to get that support?"

Ryan Archer and his daughter Issy say they are so grateful for the help they have been given by Loros

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government committed to finding a long-term solution to ensure the hospice sector is sustainable as it is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals.

They said: "Hospices carry out incredible work to ensure patients get the care they need in the most appropriate setting.

"That's why we recently announced the largest investment in hospices in a generation.

"This £100m capital funding boost – £25m of which has already gone to hospices - will improve facilities and allow them to focus wider resources on patient care.

"We are also providing an additional £26m revenue funding to children and young people's hospices this year.

"We are working to make sure the sector is sustainable overall in the long term and this government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change."