'This money is nice, but it's not the answer really' - Hospice chiefs react following £3.4m government funding rollout across the Midlands

It comes after the Express and Star and Shropshire Star launched a campaign for change with its Fair Deal for Hospices Campaign, supporting Hospice UK's four-point plan for fair funding that aims to secure the future of hospice care.

Hospices provide vital palliative care both at their centres and in the community, offering vital medical help and support to families, but are forced to do so without a sustained or regular income from central government, instead having to rely on short-term grants that do not allow them to plan for the future.

Compton Care received the fifth highest sum as part of the funding, but CEO Rachel Overfield insisted the hospice needs more support amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis.

"We're grateful for it and it definitely helps, but on it's own it certainly doesn't help to keep all of our services going," Rachel said. "The money that we receive can only be spent on buildings, equipment and technology, and cannot be spent on staff which means it doesn't really help the underlying financial challenges that hospices face.

"We've used the funds to build a patients app, to replace some IT kit and buy some new furniture. We're also installing a new patient call system on the ward which acts as a fall prevention system.

"Quite a lot has been spent on the grounds and we've now got solar panels, and this latest pot of money is going to replace our boilers.

"We appreciate it and we've definitely tried to spend it on things that will enhance the lives of our patients and our staff.

"We're a £16m organisation that receives £4m a year from the NHS, and that means we have to raise £12m every year just to stand still," Rachel added. "We do that through all the usual ways, but every year it becomes harder and harder because people have less money in their pockets.

"In an ideal world what we really need to see is the NHS paying more for what they get from us, because that would take the pressure off of our fundraising.

"We'll always be a charity that needs to raise money, but our costs have gone up every year and the money we receive from the NHS hasn't.

"That's what really needs to be solved, that's the money that pays the wages and everything else that goes into delivering palliative care. This money is nice to have, but it's not the answer really."

Dr Richard Soulsby, Chief Executive at Katharine House Hospice, Stafford, said: “We’re really pleased to receive the £97,868 in government funding.

 “This investment will allow us to modernise our IT systems, including introducing a new electronic prescribing system. Moving away from paper-based processes will improve patient safety, strengthen data protection, and help our clinical teams spend more time focused on what matters most – caring for patients and their families.

 “The funding will also support essential improvements to our hospice buildings, including replacing fire doors and upgrading drainage, helping us maintain a safe, secure and welcoming environment for everyone who relies on our services.”

See which 14 hospices in the West Midlands will receive a portion of the funding, and how much they will receive below:

• Acorns Children's Hospice Trust — £402,797
• Compton Care — £200,000 
• Hope House Children's Hospice — £157,086
• Katharine House Hospice — £97,868
• Kemp Hospice — £24,012
• Mary Ann Evans Hospice — £37,430
• Mary Stevens Hospice —£ 30,000
• Severn Hospice — £299,078
• St Giles Hospice — £249,803
• St Michael's Hospice — £169,739
• St Richard's Hospice — £172,188 
• The Myton Hospices — £227,545
• The Shakespeare Hospice — £35,338 
• Zoe's Place Baby Hospice — £108,964