Father's plea as hospice reveals financial deficit

Steve Lord described the idea of his son not being cared for by Forget Me Not Children's Hospice as "frightening"

The father of a terminally ill boy has pleaded with the government to give further support to the financially troubled hospice his son relies on.

Forget Me Not Children's Hospice, in Huddersfield, launched an appeal after revealing a £1m funding gap could lead to 16 staff losing their jobs and a reduction in services.

Steve Lord, whose 10-year-old son Ethan has a life-limiting brain condition, described the prospect of the hospice no longer being able to support him as "frightening".

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was "aware of the financial pressures facing the hospice sector" and it was "working closely with NHS England urgently to address these issues".

The hospice currently had an annual running cost of £6m, with 90% coming from fundraising.

The remainder typically came from recurrent government funding.

Its NHS funding had been cut by about a third since 2021/22 while at the same time it faced spiralling costs, the service said.

Ethan's condition has left him unable to talk, walk or feed himself, with the hospice providing his family with a support network of professionals after his diagnosis two years ago.

Ethan is more comfortable in the hospice than he would be in hospital, his father says

He has adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare disorder which causes a progressive loss of physical and mental skills.

"Ethan's care package is built around here," Mr Lord, 60, said.

"When he's here he's comfortable, it's a lovely environment. It's not clinical and he's treated like a normal person.

"They know what's right and wrong for him and being here means he spends a lot less time in hospital."

The planned redundancies at the hospice amounts to about a tenth of its workforce

He continued: "The thought of all the good stuff that's left being snatched away because someone can't see the benefit of not looking after places like this is heartbreaking.

"If this place isn't here when the time comes I don't know what we're going to do."

The hospice said the planned redundancies amounted to about a tenth of its workforce.

Gareth Pierce, its chief executive, said: "As a result of rising staff and energy costs, uncertainty over future statutory funding and a tough year for fundraising and in our shops, we face a real term gap in our finances of £1m.

“We need to take action now to protect our future and ensure we can continue to be here for the local families who need us."

Chief executive Gareth Pierce says the hospice faces a £1m funding gap

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Every family whose child requires end of life care deserves access to the best possible service.

"We are aware of the financial pressures facing the hospice sector and are working closely with NHS England urgently to address these issues.

"We are determined to shift more healthcare into the community and ensure patients and their families receive high-quality, personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.