NI Children's Hospice's position over bed reduction 'unchanged'

The hospice made the announcement that it may have to reduce bed capacity due to funding cuts on Tuesday

NI Children's Hospice has said it is "grateful" for the health minister's funding intervention but its position over bed reduction remains "unchanged".

The charity says it has been running with an underlying deficit which it has reduced in the past 12 months.

However, with "diminishing reserves, action must be taken".

Last week it announced that it had reduced the number of beds it could offer due to government funding cuts, which were implemented in June 2023.

The service had said it might reduce capacity from seven beds week-round to six beds Monday-Friday and three at the weekend.

That means respite care can be offered to fewer children and their families.

The cost of running one bed is approximately £600,000 per year.

In a statement to BBC News NI the charity said it was "grateful for and reassured by" its core funding becoming fully recurrent, which will provide "greater confidence for the future".

In a statement on Friday, Health Minister Robin Swann said the £85,000 which had been cut from the budget would be returned.

Also, that the charity's £1.6m core funding would become recurrent, which means it is fully guaranteed each year.

Up until Friday, £420,000 of its core grant had not been recurrent.

Robin Swann said the £85,000 which had been cut from the budget would be returned

The charity, based in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, had previously made up the difference through fundraising, which it said was becoming increasingly difficult due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The £1.6m recurring core funding from the Department of Health represents about 30% of the total cost of the Children's Hospice.

The rest, about 70%, comes from fundraising.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme on Monday, acting director of the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice Grace Stewart welcomed Mr Swann raising the role of all departments in its delivery of services.

"However, we do need to be sustainable," she said.

Last year the hospice reported a deficit of £1.8m, Ms Stewart said, adding "there is a potential that we would have to lose staff to try and work back that deficit".

Charity's bed dilemma remains

Devolution is only back a week, and the Children's Hospice story highlights just how cash strapped Northern Ireland is.

Such an emotive issue, the care of profoundly sick children, struck a chord with the public and assembly members.

Within hours of the story breaking, the first and deputy first ministers responded to the news, saying they had been in touch with Robin Swann.

Families including that of 13-year-old Mia Warren who stays at the hospice several times a year for a "holiday", appealed to Mr Swann to fix it.

But the new minister did not cave in under pressure.

While he re-instated their cash, he did not make the leap that guaranteed the full restoration of patient beds.

That would have set a dangerous precedent.

Instead, Mr Swann was up front and told the charity that so many others were in the same boat, and they would have to develop "longer term solutions".

That will be a familiar message for others too.

The hospice provides specialist palliative care for more than 350 babies, children, and their families each year.

The reconfiguration of beds had been achieved through "natural turnover in our band five posts, without redundancies", it said.

Asked about the possibility of redundancies, it said it was in consultation with staff and could not comment any further.

"Despite these challenges, we remain committed to working hard to support all families utilising hospice service in the way that best serves their needs," a spokesperson said.

"We appreciate the minister's positive approach to seeking cross-departmental input.

"We believe collaborative efforts can pave the way for sustainable solutions and look forward to working with him in delivering for the Hospice sector."