From April 2024, Hospiscare will be cutting back its services due to a £2.5 million funding deficit

In response to its recent ‘fair funding’ campaign, Hospiscare has finally been awarded a single funding injection of £480,000 from Devon ICB. While the hospice has said it welcomes the payment, it added that it still leaves a huge deficit and is not enough to stave off service cuts. As a result, Hospiscare will have to cut bed numbers from 12 to eight and reduce the weekend community nursing service.

Despite serving a large population and supporting more patients with complex clinical needs, Hospiscare receives only 18 percent of its annual funding from the Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB) — the statutory body responsible for allocating government funding within the county. This is in comparison to the national average of 37 percent. 

Andrew Randall, chief executive of Hospiscare, said: “We have raised the issue of inequitable funding with Devon ICB on countless occasions and there is no satisfactory answer as to why Hospiscare only receives 18% of funding, whereas other hospices elsewhere receive up to double this. 

“It costs our hospice £10m a year to provide our services caring for people with terminal illnesses. The government funds a very small proportion of this, and it’s thanks to the remarkable generosity of local people, who support us through fundraising and legacies, that we are able to continue our vital work. 

“But inflation and the cost-of-living crisis means we can no longer rely on local fundraising. We desperately need Devon ICB to increase our funding in line with other hospices to ensure we can be here in the future for the thousands of Devonians and their families we support every year. 

“This funding boost from Devon ICB increases our funding for this coming year from 18 percent to 24 percent. While a step in the right direction, this is still far removed from the national average for hospice funding of 37 percent.  

“We’re in no way asking the ICB to fund us entirely — we’ll continue to fundraise the vast majority of our costs ourselves — all we’re asking for is fair treatment.” 

Mr Randall has vowed that Hospiscare will continue to campaign to have its funding brought in line with the national average.

Last year, the hospice reported that it would have to cut its services unless its statutory funding was brought in line with the average level of national hospice funding. 

Hospiscare is a local charity and it costs nearly £10 million each year for the hospice to provide its services — 82 percent of which the hospice raises itself with the help of local people. 

For more information about the issues mentioned here, or to find out how to support the hospice, visit www.hospiscare.co.uk.