Daughter of hospice patients backs bed campaign

Julie Whittaker's parents died days apart after receiving care at Ashgate Hospice

The daughter of a couple who spent their final moments together side by side in a hospice has backed a campaign to save two end-of-life care beds from funding cuts.

Julie Whittaker's parents, Chris and Lynne Johnson, were cared for in the same room at Ashgate Hospice, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, before dying just days apart in February 2024.

Ashgate Hospice announced plans to reduce the number of inpatient beds as part of wider plans to save more than £2.6m in October.

However, it has now launched an appeal to raise £244,000 to keep two of nine specialist beds open for a further six months.

A spokesperson for Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it was continuing to work with the hospice to understand its current cost pressures and "what can be provided within an affordable level of funding".

Chris and Lynne Johnson died within eight days of each other

Mrs Whittaker, 50, from Glapwell, in Derbyshire, said her parents, who were married for 52 years, received "comforting" care at the hospice after they both became terminally ill at the same time.

"Every specialist bed counts," she said.

"Even keeping just two beds open means families like mine can be reassured that they will receive care, safety, and comfort when it matters most."

"My mum and dad were cared for side by side, in the same room, holding hands until the very end," Mrs Whittaker said.

"Those two beds meant everything to us – comfort, dignity, and the chance to be together until the very end.

"It breaks my heart to think of other people being turned away and so many of Ashgate's specialist hospice beds standing empty."

The couple were first cared for by Mrs Whittaker at home, but moved to the hospice when their conditions deteriorated and their pain became too difficult to control.

Mrs Johnson died first – as they lay holding hands – on 13 February 2024, aged 69.

Mr Johnson died just over a week later, aged 76.

Chris and Lynne Johnson were married for 52 years

In October, Barbara-Anne Walker, the hospice's chief executive, said the proposed cuts were "heartbreaking choices, but necessary to protect Ashgate's future".

She added the hospice was running at a cost of £18.5m a year, with cash reserves "critically low".

It had already cut its 21 available beds to 15 due to insufficient funding, and had proposed to reduce these further to six.

Saving two of the nine beds planned for closure allows around 25 more patients and their families to receive care, the hospice said.

The organisation had also warned staff that 52 people were at risk of redundancy.

Ashgate Hospice is one of five members of national group Hospice UK to have announced "cost reductions" or cutbacks since early October.

About 380 hospice beds out of around 2,000 lie empty in England because of financial pressures, the group said.

Ashgate Hospice announced £2.6m of cuts in October

Jack Wood, director of income generation at Ashgate Hospice, said: "This is one of the hardest situations we've ever faced.

"It's heartbreaking that we're having to fight to keep our beds open - beds that mean the world to local families like Julie's.

"By donating to the Save a Precious Bed Appeal, we can make sure more people receive the same compassionate care that Julie's parents did."

NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB previously said it believed the level of funding given to the hospice was fair "when compared with benchmarks for the hospice sector nationally".

The body said its core contract with the hospice had increased in value by 55% since 2022-23.