North-west of England hospices plea for funding changes | Manchester News

Leaders of eight hospices in Greater Manchester have met MPs in Westminster to call for changes to the way they are funded.

They said costs had gone up by a third and they had to rely on fundraising from their local communities to provide the extra money needed.

Dr Leigh Vallance, chief executive of Bolton Hospice, appealed to the government to “respect the value” of their work and “make a better contribution”.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it had recently announced the largest investment in hospices in a generation and it was working to make sure the sector was sustainable.

Hospices receive between 17 and 30% of their funding from the NHS, depending on their size. The national average is 30%.

“The rest is raised by local people fundraising jumping out of airplanes and shaving their heads,” said Dr Vallance, speaking on behalf of the Greater Manchester Hospices group.

She said the sector faced challenges from the increased cost of living, fuel energy hikes, a rise in national insurance and the minimum wage.

“My local community raises more than £4m every single year and the NHS contribution is a little over £1m,” she said.

Hospices provide specialist palliative and end-of-life care for patients as well as pre and post bereavement support for loved ones.

“It takes a lot of the stress and strain away from patients who are dying,” Dr Vallance told Radio Manchester.

In December, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced Hospices in England were to receive £100m of government funding over two years to improve end-of-life care and another £26m was going to hospices for children, a continuation of money previously given through a grant.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was working to make sure the sector was sustainable and it was determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals into the community through its Plan For Change.

Dr Vallance welcomed the grant but said the government should work with hospices if it wanted to realise its goal of moving patients into the community.

“We’re embedded in our communities and we can bring so much more to the table if they fund us properly,” she said.

“We’re part of the solution, we’re an investment we’re not a cost.”