Unfair to ask public to fund hospice, Lancaster care boss says

Sue McGraw said financial pressures were "challenging"

Expecting the public to fund the vast majority of hospice services is "unfair", a chief executive says.

Sue McGraw, from St John's Hospice in Lancaster, said financial pressures were "challenging" and they will not get an increase in funding this year.

The hospice costs more than £5m a year to run with about a third of that provided by the government.

Ms McGraw said: "People give us so much, it just feels at the moment that we can't ask for much more."

She told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We've set ourselves a deficit budget this year so we don't expect what we raise this year to meet what we need.

"Just like everybody our costs are rising, but we can't turn off the heating.

"We've still got to feed people, we've still got to look after people, but it costs money and we can't keep asking our fabulous community to fund the vast majority of it.

"You've got to remember it's 24-7, 365 days a year care, it's doctors, nurses, all the people that support that work as well, it's a huge operation."

Last week, the Lancaster and Fleetwood MP, Cat Smith, raised the issue in the Commons saying hospices had been told the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) had offered them a 0% uplift on their funding this year.

She told MPs there were not as many charitable donations coming in and hospices cannot simply reduce their energy use to help save money.

The ICB, which arranges the provision of health services, said it was facing "severe financial pressures" and "we have to apply scrutiny to all of our spending".

A spokesman said: "As part of this, we are currently undertaking a whole system review of all contracts held by the ICB to ensure value for money.

"We will be meeting with the Lancashire and South Cumbria hospice leaders to discuss this further."