Half of hospices in England have had their statutory funding from the NHS either cut or frozen this year, a survey by Help the Hospices shows.
The representative body for hospices said 114 out of 163 hospices in England responded to the survey, published this week, with 11 per cent saying their NHS funding had been reduced for 2014/15.
The poll shows that 39 per cent have had their statutory funding frozen.
Sixty-one per cent of the hospices surveyed said financial restrictions on NHS commissioners or standstill budgets were the reason for the funding freeze or cuts they are experiencing.
The reduction in funding ranged from 0.9 per cent to 20 per cent of respondents’ overall statutory funding, the survey shows.
One hospice said it was expecting a reduction in funding of £100,000.
The survey shows that the impact of the funding reduction varies because each hospice receives a different proportion of funding from the NHS. One had a 6 per cent reduction, which amounts to a £46,000 cut and is equivalent to more than 2,000 hours of nursing care.
Another hospice had its funding reduced by nearly 2 per cent, also amounting to a £46,000 cut. This would cover the daily cost of providing a bed on its inpatient unit for three months.
Nearly a fifth, 18 per cent, of hospices that are still waiting for their funding levels to be agreed for this year, said they were expecting it to be cut or to remain static.
Jonathan Ellis, director of policy and advocacy at Help the Hospices (pictured), said: “The findings of our survey show a much tougher financial outlook for hospices as far as funding from the NHS is concerned. It comes as hospices are facing increasing demand for their services due to the UK’s ageing population.
“The variation in cuts highlights a much wider issue, namely the uneven, patchwork of current statutory funding for hospices across England. Funding is set at completely different levels, varying widely from hospice to hospice, both within and across geographical regions.
“We need fairer funding for hospices. It should not be a ‘lucky dip’ determined by postcode alone, but based on the actual needs of terminally ill and dying people in different areas. We sincerely hope this will be addressed in the new funding system for palliative care that the government has promised to deliver.”
