Hospice cuts will be 'agonising for families'

Ella Finnegan (left) said Birmingham Hospice provided a "peaceful" place for her mother Sybille (right)

A woman whose dying mother was cared for by a hospice has said upcoming budget cuts will "be agonising for families."

Birmingham Hospice said last week it would have to cut staff and inpatient beds, as rising costs had contributed to an estimated £2.4m annual budget shortfall.

Ella Finnegan said the cuts meant patients would face long waiting lists and would "not know where to get the best help for their loved ones.”

“I visited [the hospice] last week after hearing the news and I was devastated for them,” Ms Finnegan told BBC Radio WM.

Birmingham Hospice, whose services are free for patients, said it must cut about 14% of its workforce and reduce inpatient beds from 24 to 16.

Hospice UK, a national charity, has warned that hospices across the UK face a £77m funding deficit.

Birmingham Hospice said last week it had to cut staff and inpatient beds due to rising costs

Ms Finnegan's mother Sybille died of cancer at the hospice in 2021.

She said the hospice, where she had a room overlooking a garden and the family dog was allowed to come along for visits, had been a much needed calm place for her mother's final days.

“What was such a terrible time was made peaceful by the hospice,” Ms Finnegan said.

She added that her mother told her she was "thankful to be here".

Birmingham Hospice, a charity, receives both NHS funding and public donations.

Simon Fuller, the hospice’s chief executive, said it was facing rising costs due to factors such as the Covid pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

Lorraine Firmstone, a current patient, said staff had helped to decorate her room with her Elvis memorabilia so she felt more at home

“I wish people would come together and help keep this going,” said Lorraine Firmstone, 72, a patient at the hospice who is in the late stages of cancer.

Ms Firmstone, an Elvis fan, added that hospice staff had helped her to decorate her room with her memorabilia so she felt more at home.

“You know it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, coming here,” she said.

“They’re lovely people, they do everything for you.”