North Devon Hospice faces 'worst financial crisis' ever

The boss of the hospice has predicted a £1m deficit in 2023

North Devon Hospice says it is facing the worst financial crisis in its 40-year history.

Stephen Roberts, chief executive officer of the hospice, describes the situation as "a perfect storm".

He said costs were rising and income was falling as the charity cares for more patients than ever before.

Mr Roberts has called on the government for urgent help: "We cannot rely on fundraising, skydives and cake sales."

The hospice said it cares for nearly 3,000 local people a year, with an annual budget of £6m.

The government allocates £1m and Mr Roberts said the hospice relied on charitable fundraising for the other £5m.

He said the price of energy, fuel and food were soaring, but donations were down by 30%.

The charity has predicted a deficit of £1m this year.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: "We have made over £400m available to hospices since 2020 to secure and increase additional NHS capacity and enable hospital discharge, ensuring hospices can continue to deliver care to those who need it."

Community care teams travelled more than 70,000 miles last year

Fuel costs are an issue for the North Devon Hospice which said 90% of the care and support it provides was in the community.

Emma Woodward, clinical nurse specialist for the charity, said she and her colleagues cover one of the largest geographical areas (800 sq miles) of any hospice in the UK.

She said last year the community care teams travelled more than 70,000 miles.

Barnstaple resident John Harley, who has an incurable rare blood condition, said "money cannot buy" the service the hospice provided for him and his wife at their home.

He added: "The help, the care, the support the hospice offers, not just for me but for my wife as well, is amazing."

In a recent survey by Hospice UK 96% of all hospices across the country said they are bracing for a budget deficit this year.

In a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care said Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative and end-of-life care to meet local needs.

It said: "NHS England provided £1.5bn additional funding to ICBs to provide support for inflation last year.

"We will continue to proactively engage with the sector on an ongoing basis to understand the staffing issues facing hospices."