A LOCAL hospice has announced it will make “significant redundancies” as it looks to plug a £1.5million hole in its budget.
Whittington based St Giles Hospice has blamed a reduction in income from the NHS as well as increased costs for energy, food and clinical supplies.
Bosses added that the cost of living crisis had also impacted on its ability to raise funds from supporters.
The charity expects to make around 40 redundancies as part of the plans.
Elinor Eustace, interim CEO of St Giles Hospice, said:
“There is a growing need for palliative and end of life care and the NHS is unable to meet the huge demands on its beds. Most people do not want to die in hospital and hospices provide outstanding services that support people to die in a place of their choosing.
“While St Giles will continue to campaign for fair funding for hospices locally and nationally, in the absence of any additional support, we are not able to delay these difficult decisions any longer.
“The hospice has also looked to cut non-pay costs and invested in income generation opportunities but, although investing in fundraising and retail operations will help to give the hospice a long-term future, the return will not be at the rate of its rising costs.
“We recognise that this is a period of uncertainty for our workforce and the wellbeing of our staff, volunteers, patients, and families is paramount. While this decision has been very difficult to make, the long-term future of St Giles is at its heart.
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helps to fund care for local people, and their loved ones, living with a terminal illness – whether that be from taking part in our events, supporting their local St Giles shop, playing our raffles and lottery or gifting their time – the support of our community is vital for our future.”
The hospice said it was currently consulting with staff as part of the redundancy process.
Robin Vickers, chair of the board of trustees at the hospice, said:
“The prospect of having to make highly skilled, end of life healthcare professionals redundant – as well as their colleagues who run the charity – is incredibly difficult and is not a decision we are taking lightly.
“We are doing everything we can to support all our hospice colleagues through this difficult time.
“By making redundancies now, the hospice is ensuring it can return to a sustainable budget as soon as possible.
“As a charity, we are not underwritten by the government or the NHS, we cannot continue to run a deficit and simply run out of money – if we did, the hospice would cease to exist.
“St Giles has been supporting our local community for over 40 years and our intention is to be here to support those who need us most in another 40 years. The redundancy process we are going through is part of a wider transformation programme that puts the hospice on the right track to achieve this goal and continue to provide outstanding care in the years to come.”
