Hospice services for dying patients are at risk because of a funding "black hole" of £120million a year, a charity has warned. Hospice UK said patient services are in danger of being cut as the hospices, which are mainly funded through charity and have to compete to recruit from the same pool staff as the NHS, struggle to match pay rises in the public sector.
Staff make up the majority (71%) of hospice costs. And if they want to match the Government’s increased pay awards to NHS nurses and other staff, hospices would need to raise an extra £120million through fundraising, Hospice UK said.
Hospices are already expecting a deficit of £186million this year because of rising costs and fewer donations as their supporters have to contend with the cost of living crisis. On average, adult hospices have to raise around two-thirds of their income through charity fundraising, while for children’s hospices the figure rises to around 80%.
