If this doesn’t shame the government, nothing will: Hospices are being left to die

This isn't a slow-moving crisis; it's an urgent emergency that demands immediate and decisive action from the government.

It is truly sobering. Two in five hospices are planning cuts this year, a direct result of surging costs and a crippling funding pot. Most alarming is that 50% of children's hospices may have to cut or cease providing end-of-life care entirely within six months - without guaranteed new funds.

To think that families facing the loss of a child might be denied specialist, compassionate care in their darkest hour is unconscionable.

The financial precariousness of this vital sector is stark. Over half of all hospices ended the last financial year in deficit, and one in five faced deficits exceeding £1 million.

The core problem is the funding model: hospices receive only about one-third of their income from the NHS. The rest must be raised through charitable efforts.

The double whammy of the cost of living crisis - which has both inflated operating costs and simultaneously sapped charitable donations—has created an impossible environment. This has led to a colossal £47 million cut in funding between 2022 and 2024.

For a sector dedicated to providing specialist palliative care, this financial squeeze is a direct assault on patient wellbeing. The consequence? More than 12,000 terminally ill people could face cuts to the essential services they rely on in the next year.

While the government has offered some money for new equipment and buildings, it has failed to provide the emergency support for staff salaries that is needed to keep frontline services afloat. The government must be made to sit up and listen.

Beyond a sustainable, needs-based funding model, immediate financial relief is required. Reversing the impact of the April national insurance hike, which has cost hospices an estimated £34 million, would offer a crucial lifeline.

The growing number of people choosing to spend their final days in a hospice - now over 30,000 annually - underscores the crucial and increasing role these institutions play in our society.

The time for complacency is over. The government must step in with an emergency funding package, commit to a long-term, needs-based funding settlement, and guarantee that no terminally ill patient, adult or child, is denied the fundamental right to a dignified end-of-life.

Anything less is an unacceptable betrayal of the most vulnerable among us.

___________-

Alison Bennett is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Care and Carers

LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk