Hospice faces 'heartbreaking' care cuts

Almost 30 people could lose their jobs, with some patient services reduced, as a hospice struggles with funding worries.

St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham, employs 124 staff, but says it faces "growing financial pressures".

The facility, on Park House Road, provides pain management and end-of-life care as well as dementia and bereavement services.

Hospice chair Angela Lamb said there was a "real risk" some services would need to be cut - a step she described as "heartbreaking".

The government said it was looking at how it could "financially support hospices next year to ensure they are sustainable".

"We know how unsettling this will be for people in our community who are currently facing a terminal illness and don't know where to turn," Ms Lamb said.

"We recognise that this period of uncertainty for our workforce will also affect the wellbeing of our staff and we're doing all we can to support them at this time.

"Whilst this decision has been very difficult to make, the long-term future of St Cuthbert's Hospice is at its heart."

The hospice said urgent talks had taken place with NHS commissioners and other partner organisations, with negotiations ongoing that meant in-patient services were likely to be saved from any cutbacks.

It added hospices across the country were facing a "financial crisis" with money received from the government "not growing with inflation".

An increasing reliance on donations had added to pressures, it said, with worries also stemming from the increase in National Insurance announced in the recent Budget.

CEO Paul Marriott said palliative care was a "speciality that is so valued by those who need and use it", but warned it still relied on charitable funding.

"In the recent [parliamentary] debate on Assisted Dying, there was a huge focus by nearly everyone who spoke on both sides on the importance of good palliative and end-of-life care.

"What we offer is not just nice to have. It is something that should be accessible to all. We each matter to the end our days."

One employee, who asked not to be named, told the BBC "so many people will be affected" by the proposed cuts.

"We knew things are tough for hospices across the country, but we were told the next budget has highlighted how bad things are.

"To be told just before Christmas is devastating.

"Staff were crying all day. People have got mortgages to pay, but this will obviously affect patient services as well."

Last week, the Department of Health and Social Care said the choices the chancellor made in the Budget allowed the government to invest another £26bn in the NHS.

It added it was "looking at how we can financially support hospices next year to ensure they are sustainable".

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