'The timing couldn’t be worse': Fewer visits to dying patients as UK hospices hit crisis point

UK hospices are in crisis and their financial stability is at a critical point, leaders have warned.

Hospice UK, which represents more than 200 hospices across the UK, said the sector’s finances are in their worst state for 20 years.

At least a fifth of hospices have cut their services in the last year or are planning to do so, according to the national charity.

This means inpatient beds are being cut, staff are being made redundant and community services are being restricted, with fewer visits to dying patients in their own homes.

Pressure on hospices has been growing, according to Hospice UK, which says “modest” state funding has not kept pace with increasing running costs.

It is now urging the public to write to their local MP calling for increased government support.

Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, said “the timing couldn’t be worse”, with demand for end-of-life care increasing.

He added: “When hospices cut services, patients are pushed back into the NHS, ultimately costing the taxpayer more.

"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."

Jeremy Lune, chief executive of Prospect Hospice in Swindon, said: “At Prospect Hospice, we’ve had to reduce the number of beds in our inpatient unit to six, despite having room for 12.

“This decision isn’t enough, as we still face a £1 million deficit. The need for our palliative and end-of-life care is growing, while funding is dwindling, creating an unsustainable situation.”

Emma May Ward, 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.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We want a society where every person, their families, and carers, receive high quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to end of life.

“The government is going to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community. We recognise that the care system, including hospices, will play a vital role in doing this.

“We are going to grip the social care crisis, starting with the workforce by delivering a new deal for care workers.

“We will also take steps to create a National Care Service underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country.”

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