'Heartbroken' hospice chief fears dying patients will end up in ambulances and A&E over funding crisis

'Heartbroken' hospice chief fears dying patients will end up in ambulances and A&E over funding crisis EXCLUSIVE: "Patient services will inevitably suffer as hospices around the country seek to balance the books, saving costs to plug the large holes appearing in hospice finances" A “heartbroken” hospice chief is warning that dying patients will end up in “ambulances and A&E departments” after her organisation was hit by a devastating financial crisis. And experts warned the problems hitting St Clare Hospice in Essex are just the tip of the iceberg. National charity Hospice UK said hospices up and down the country are having make cuts. Sarah Thompson is calling for a radical overhaul of funding saying the current system is simply “broken”. She issued the passionate appeal after the shocking news that her highly respected hospice was having to cut vital services and lay off staff after a £1.3m loss this financial year. In a letter to volunteers the Chief Executive said: “I am heartbroken that St Clare Hospice is one of those hospices forced to make cuts because we don’t have enough money to fund the services local people so desperately need. “Before the end of 2026, over 60% of hospices in the UK will have been forced to cut services. This means that across the country people who are dying will not be able to access the highest quality of care that only hospices are equipped to provide, and at the same time skilled, compassionate, hard-working staff are losing their jobs. “This is a bitter pill for everyone to swallow.” St Clare is based in Hastingwood, near Harlow in Essex and provides end of life care for people in West Essex and East Hertfordshire. In an emotional piece for the Mirror, Sarah said: “The hospice funding model is utterly broken. “This isn’t a failure in hospice management, or about hospices becoming irrelevant – demand for hospice services is only getting higher as our UK population ages and lives longer with more complex health conditions. This is about the relentless rise in costs in the UK as hospices try to keep pace with NHS salaries, and the National Insurance bills that were unexpected. “I am angry that this broken system, with neither the money nor the mechanism to move funding around the healthcare system, leaves independent hospices high and dry. If hospices, as charitable organisations, cannot afford to deliver services, no one is there to pick up the bill. Patient services will inevitably suffer as hospices around the country seek to balance the books, saving costs to plug the large holes appearing in hospice finances. “St Clare Hospice now only receives 20% of its funding from the NHS – 80% of funding comes from its generous local communities through bake sales, sky dives, sponsored runs and charity shops. Hospices were founded by grassroots communities who thought that everyone deserves a good death. They were built through hard work and fundraising. “Hospices need local people’s support even more right now - but it is not fair to ask them to plug the gap left by the unsustainable funding model from the NHS. I am devastated that hospices will inevitably not be able to reach as many patients and their families who need our support without a step change in NHS income and proper NHS contracts. “I am heartbroken that St Clare Hospice is likely to lose dedicated, expert and caring nurses, doctors and colleagues who are so committed to serving the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in our community. At St Clare Hospice we have taken the decision to preserve the hospice’s precious eight In-Patient Unit beds which care for the most unwell, dying patients . “But the hospice’s other specialist services are at risk – with a smaller number of Clinical Nurse Specialists, a reduced highly skilled medical team. And a proposed cut to our Hospice at Home service, patient and family support services, the closure of our dementia and community engagement programme and the closure of GriefLine. These are distressing cuts which were incredibly difficult decisions to make. “The patients we can no longer serve are likely to end up in A&E, hospital corridors or ambulances – or dying unsupported without the specialist care hospices can offer. We need a fairer funding deal for hospices urgently, so hospices can continue to give peace, comfort and dignity back to local patients who need specialist hospice care." Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said: "This is desperate news. St Clare have a truly excellent clinical team and care service. They’re invaluable to their local community yet receive one of the smallest NHS contributions. St Clare receive one of the smallest NHS contributions in the whole of Essex, so it is inevitable that this would happen. "We're already seeing hospice services being cut to the bone: desperately needed beds lying unused because hospices can't afford to staff them, dedicated and expert staff being made redundant, and vital community support being scaled back. Ultimately, it is patients and families who pay the price. "We welcome the Government’s recognition of the pressures facing hospices through the development of a Modern Service Framework for palliative and end of life care. This is an important and necessary step, but recognition alone is not enough. What matters now is how that commitment translates into real-world change. “With more hospices announcing cuts every month, we're worried that change may come too late for many. We're calling on Government to commit to £112.5 million in recurring funding this year as part of our four-point plan to stem the tide of hospice cuts and secure the future of hospice care."