MP's plea to end 'postcode lottery' of hospice funding

The Guardian reported recently how St Luke's Hospice Cheshire on Queensway was facing a black hole in its finances due partly to the fact it receives less public funding than some other hospices, and had also been hit by a 60 per cent hike in utility bills.

In a Parliamentary debate, Eddisbury MP Edward Timpson said only 12 per cent of the hospice's income was received through the NHS and its Integrated Care Board, which he said was 'significantly lower' than similar hospices in other regions.

According to Mr Timpson, it brings in £1m less grant funding than a hospice of a similar size in Merseyside dealing with the same end of life care.

He called for urgent action to address the 'postcode lottery' of funding for hospices, and said NHS Integrated Care Boards should prioritise funding for hospice palliative care and ensure parity with the NHS's own end-of-life care services.

Mr Timpson - who announced last year he was standing down as an MP before the next General Election - told the Commons: "Hospices such as St Luke’s are not looking for - or expecting - 100 per cent funding, they just want a sensible, sustainable funding formula. At present funding does not reflect the true cost of clinical care."

He added: "We need multi-year contracts to give hospices the confidence to deliver their services and invest, grow and develop to meet the needs of their communities."

With running costs of £5m-a-year, St Luke's Cheshire Hospice has been providing palliative care since 1988 and its team includes 162 staff members and 700 volunteers.

Neil Wright, chief executive of St Luke's, said: "The only certain health event in your life is that you will die, so everybody should have equal access to the same level of high-quality end-of-life care.

"It cannot be right that, in our society, hospices - as leaders in end-of-life care - have to rely more and more on charity to continue providing that care."