Hospice boss warns that cost-cutting impact is ‘devastating’ for staff recruitment and patient care

The head of one of South London’s leading hospices has warned more people are ‘dying without dignity’ as limited funding puts their ‘vital’ end-of-life care under pressure.

The chief executive said her stretched staff are tired and fears that ‘their blitz spirit can’t last forever.’

St Raphael’s Hospice in North Cheam provides specialist and palliative care in Sutton and Merton.

However, joint chief executive Becca Trower believes the current level of service is ‘unsustainable’ unless hospices receive a ‘fair deal’ from the NHS.

This pressure only intensified after St Raphael’s was forced to cut its respected ‘hospice at home’ program last September, limiting its ability to help people in the community.

The former nurse said: “I have never seen anything like this before in my time here.

“We have had more staff sickness in the past month than we have ever had. Our community and medical teams are so stretched thin. I worry how much longer they can continue.

“They have not got that satisfaction that they had at the start. This blitz spirit can’t last forever. I don’t know how much more we can trim off before there is nothing left.”

Ms Trower points to the ‘devastating’ cut of its ‘hospice at home’ service last September as the main factor threatening its ability to help the community. The cuts, prompted by ‘insufficient funding’, meant the hospice could no longer provide planned care for people in the final stages of their illness who want to be cared for in their own homes.

Despite providing 13 inpatient beds for its most pressing and complex patients at its North Cheam site, the Hospice’s biggest impact is felt in the community where it supports over 250 people. The slashing of its community services by a third and its staff in the field from 13 to 10 has had a devastating impact.

The cuts have also had a direct impact on patient care. “People used to get planned visits where we could manage timings and medication, but now we just do response visits,” Ms Trower said.

She added: “We’re seeing referrals increase, but our resources are decreasing. We’ve had to make £1m in cuts each year, and now the community team is even smaller. We just can’t keep up with the growing demand.”

With a service costing £6.5 million annually, St Raphael’s receives just 27 per cent of its funding from the NHS, relying on donations and fundraising to cover the rest.  Its funding also comes from the hospice’s 11 charity shops across South London.

Without adequate funding, Ms Trower says more patients will be forced to go to hospitals, leading to overcrowded wards and higher healthcare costs.

Many local politicians have supported the hospice and share this view. Luke Taylor, the newly elected Lib Dem MP for Sutton and Cheam, said: “It’s incredibly important that we can rely on services like these to be there when we need them.”

Deputy leader of Merton’s Lib Dem opposition, Jenifer Gould, said: “Hospices play a really valuable role in the provision of care. Sustainable funding would provide people with the dignity and quality of care they deserve”

A spokesman for the NHS in south west London said: “We are doing everything we can to support our local hospices who do vital work, this is amidst financial pressures across all NHS services – GPs, hospitals, community, and mental health.

“We will continue to meet with our local hospices to discuss plans for the future – as well as invest in services in line with national guidance and funding allocations.”

Pictured top: Becca Trower, who said: “I don’t know how much more we can trim off before there is nothing left” (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)