One in five hospices in the UK are cutting services amid the worst funding crisis in two decades, a report has warned, with soaring numbers of patients being pushed back into the NHS.
Research by Hospice UK found “small and wildly varying” state funding had failed to keep pace with growing demand and rising running costs.
That means inpatient beds are being cut, staff made redundant and community services restricted, with fewer visits to dying patients in their own homes, according to the charity, which represents more than 200 hospices across the country.
Hospice UK said the sector’s finances were in their worst state in 20 years. A fifth of hospices have cut or closed their services in the last year or are planning to do so, the charity said.
Toby Porter, its chief executive, said: “Too many hospices are in crisis. The small and wildly variable amount of state funding they receive has failed to keep pace with rising costs.
“Many hospices are therefore running deficits that can only mean one thing – more cuts to essential care services, or even service closures. We’re already seeing redundancies at some major hospices.”
Porter said the timing could not be worse, given the increasing demand for end-of-life care. “When hospices cut services, patients are pushed back into the NHS, ultimately costing the taxpayer more,” he said.
“We know that our health and social care services in the UK are under immense strain, yet thousands of hospice staff are desperate to help, if only hospices could be properly funded.”
Deborah Paris, the executive chair of Rowans Hospice in south-east Hampshire, said the gap between costs and income had risen significantly, which was “not a sustainable position”.
“We have met with NHS commissioners to negotiate urgent, additional funding, and used the opportunity to re-emphasise the significant contribution that the hospice provides and the work that will fall to the NHS if we must reduce our capacity,” she said.
“Unfortunately, as further funding has not been forthcoming, and following a range of earlier efficiencies across the organisation, we have had to reduce the level of our provision and make some staff redundant. These are heartbreaking decisions to have made, but we have no other choice but to take these steps.”
Jeremy Lune, the chief executive of Prospect Hospice in Swindon, said it had had to reduce the number of beds in its inpatient unit to six, despite having room for 12.
“This decision isn’t enough, as we still face a £1m deficit. The need for our palliative and end-of-life care is growing, while funding is dwindling, creating an unsustainable situation,” he said.
Emma May Ward, a clinical nurse specialist for Marie Curie in the West Midlands, said: “Every day my team and I see the devastating impacts of overloaded and underfunded end-of-life care services in hospices and delivered in people’s homes.
“Increasingly, we are finding families at crisis point, distressed and not knowing where to turn, often forced to call 999 or go to A&E when they don’t need or want to.
“Too many people are falling through the cracks, and too many people are dying in avoidable pain.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said the government would shift the focus of healthcare out of hospitals into the community, adding: “We recognise that the care system, including hospices, will play a vital role in doing this.”
