Hospices in England have made significant cuts to services after ending the last financial year with a deficit of over £70 million, as the Prime Minister says the care sector’s funding issues must be fixed before assisted suicide is debated.
According to Hospice UK, hospices in England ended the last financial year with a collective deficit of more than £70 million, a figure which they say is more than double that of the previous year.
The organisation revealed that at least 33 hospices have already made significant cuts to the services they provide in light of these budgetary constraints, with almost 60% of hospices either making changes or considering reductions in services due to this increased deficit.
A new benchmarking report by Hospice UK, on which the figures for England are based, found that 87 hospices across the UK had a collective deficit of £38 million, which is more than double the deficit faced by the same group of hospices in the previous year.
One such hospice, Queenscourt Hospice in Southport, has described the current financial situation as the most challenging time in its 35-year history. The hospice has warned that it could be forced to close if the situation is not ameliorated.
Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said that “nearly one in three people who need palliative care miss out on the support they need” due to hospice care services being underfunded.
“When hospice services are reduced, it is hospitals, patients and families who pay the price”, he added.
Louise Charnock, Executive Director of Nursing Services at Queenscourt Hospice, said, “Hospices across the country are facing the same impossible choices, and without sustainable funding, more services will be forced to reduce the care they provide”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham makes it clear that the care sector’s problems must be fixed before assisted suicide is debated
Hospice UK’s announcement came shortly after the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said that the debate around introducing assisted suicide should not take place in a context where palliative and social care remain poorly funded, confirming “that’s the position I will stick to”.
Responding to a question from Sam Coates, deputy political editor at Sky News, Burnham said, “I take the view that that debate – and I don’t say that there shouldn’t be a debate at some point about those issues – personally, I think there’s something that needs to happen first”.
“That is the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care”.
“I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in the context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care”.
Hospice UK welcomes Prime Minister’s comments, shares worries about assisted suicide
The Hospice UK CEO, Toby Porter, said that the organisation “welcome[s] the Prime Minister’s recognition that palliative care must be fixed as a priority so everyone can get the care they need”.
The organisation has consistently raised concerns about legalising assisted suicide amidst a crisis regarding fragmented and underfunded care.
In June this year, Katie Reade, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at Hospice UK, said, “It is unacceptable that anyone might feel they have to consider an assisted death because they fear they will not receive the care they need at the end of life”.
“Real choice at the end of life means people have equitable access to high-quality care, whoever they are and wherever they live”, she added.
As the revived assisted suicide Bill is set to have its Second Reading in the House of Commons on 11 September, Hospice UK reiterated that “[m]any significant unanswered questions for hospices remain, including workforce impacts and financial impacts on a sector already under pressure”.
“Opponents and supporters of the assisted dying Bill alike must fight to ensure high-quality palliative and end of life care is available to everyone who needs it, and hospices are properly funded, to be there for everyone who needs them”, Reade said.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is disheartening to hear the extent to which the hospice sector is facing extreme financial difficulties.
“If assisted suicide were to be made legal in this context, where hospice and other end-of-life care services are unable to meet the demand of those who need them, it seems likely that people could decide to end their lives by assisted suicide because they feel that they do not have any other real choice.
“The fact that hospice providers are actively cutting their services due to budgetary constraints is something that should worry us all.
“To introduce assisted suicide in this context would be madness, likely leaving some people feeling as if they do not have any real choice at the end of their lives but to hasten their death by assisted suicide.
“Andy Burnham is correct in highlighting this issue. MPs must vote against the new Bill at Second Reading in the House of Commons on 11 September. Lives depend on it”.
