Hospice turning away dying patients due to cost
BBCA hospice has warned it is having to turn away dying patients each week because of a funding crisis.
Prospect Hospice, based in Swindon, Wiltshire, said a lack of NHS funding means it can only open half of its specialist beds. Patients who cannot get in are left to spend their final days in hospital.
Jeremy Lune, the hospice's chief executive officer, said that in a typical week they are "turning away six or seven patients who need the specialist care". He is calling for an urgent review into hospice provision.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This government has made the biggest investment in hospices in a generation - £125m – to improve hospice facilities."
The government added: "We will soon set out our plans to modernise and improve the palliative and end of life care sector, in which hospices play a vital role."
Maggie Mobey spent two weeks in Swindon's Great Western Hospital (GWH) before she was transferred to Prospect Hospice last week.
The 66-year-old was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2016, but was admitted to GWH in February for investigations, when she was told she had terminal bowel cancer.
Her husband, Victor Mobey, said he rang Prospect Hospice from the hospital when he first heard about the small amount of beds available and the waiting list.
The 66-year old former businessman said: "She was very unhappy in hospital.
"There were some lovely staff in the hospital but the system isn't really able to cope with Parkinson's and this going on too.
"Watching Maggie go from corridor care to a ward and stay in a ward because there was nowhere else to go seems such a waste.
"If places like this can be open more often, more available to people, then they don't need to be in hospital which frees up hospital beds and it means they can be in here to have the proper care they deserve."
Maggie, from her hospice bed, said the hospice had given her a "lovely place" to relax.
Prospect Hospice gets 18 per cent of its funding from the government to supply not only inpatient beds, but also a whole network of palliative care in peoples homes.
At the moment, half of the beds are empty and the hospice said that is more expensive per patient due to economies of scale.
It estimates costs at £1,500 per head each night instead of £1,100, if all 12 beds were open.
"That includes full funding for a specialist palliative services … it also means we can give our nursing staff payments in line with the NHS," boss Lune said.
He pointed out that at the moment many hospices are unable to afford national pay rises, adding staff "stick with us through loyalty but ultimately they have got bills to pay".
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