SCOTTISH hospices have said there is a risk they may have to start turning patients away amid an “insurmountable funding gap”.
Fourteen hospice charities across the country have said they are in a grip of a financial crisis due to historical underfunding.
Without an immediate financial commitment from the Scottish Government to support hospices, the charities say that for the first time ever they may have to start turning people away and cutting services.
Hospices from across Scotland have come together as part of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group to demand urgent action by the Scottish Government.
The group has said that the UK Government’s announcment of an increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions has also exacerbated financial issues.
ACCORD Hospice in Renfrewshire – one of the charities calling for support – has highligted that for this year alone, NHS staff have been awarded a 5.5% increase with consultant pay also increasing by 10.5% .
With no additional funding support, hospices have to raise funds themselves to match this pay for staff or face losing highly-skilled clinical staff, bosses said.
As independent charities, hospices provide their care free of charge with approximately a third of their costs funded from the NHS.
Jacki Smart, CEO at ACCORD and chair of the group, said: “For many years, hospices have been warning the Scottish Government that statutory funding for palliative and end-of-life care was not sufficient.
"But with static, or in some cases, decreasing annual funding from statutory funders in the NHS and Scottish Government, we simply cannot keep providing these services.
“The breaking point for hospices has been the expectation that on top of increasing costs and reduced funding, we must fund an increase in employers’ National Insurance. We simply cannot continue to ask for this amount of money from our loyal supporters.
“We are calling on the Scottish Government to urgently prioritise funding for hospices, to support pay parity for hospice staff and to commit to a sustainable funding model into the future.”
The hospice group has joined Scottish universities in demanding more money from the Scottish Government on the back of an increase to tax hikes in the UK Budget.
The number of people needing palliative care in Scotland is predicted to increase by more than 17% in the next 25 years.
Smart added: “We are not yet at the point of closing services, but if urgent action is not taken by the Scottish Government, vital end of life care in Scotland will be seriously affected.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Independent hospices are highly valued and we understand the pressures they are facing, which is why Health Ministers continue to engage with the sector and hold open and honest discussions with hospice leaders.
"As well as continuing to work with the Integrated Joint board chiefs and independent hospices to support the longer term sustainability of planning and commissioning.”
