Star comment: The uncertainty hospices face is nothing short of a scandal
The funding issues facing hospices across our region are deeply troubling.
Hospices generally rely on private donors and feel the pinch more than others when the economy runs aground. As people cut back on discretionary spending, make fewer donations to worthy causes, and bequeath assets to family rather than third parties, hospices feel the pinch. That means people towards the end of their life do not receive the support they need, or, worse still, find beds are simply not available due to a lack of resources.
The issue is not a localised problem. There is a fundamental issue with funding that is putting hospices across the country in crisis. The Air Ambulance, which also relies on public donations, is another organisation that fights a constant battle for financial support.
Trevor Johnson, chief executive of the trust which runs Acorns children’s hospices in Walsall, Birmingham and Worcester, said his organisation has been overwhelmed by the support so far and grateful to everyone who is backing its campaign. However, the fight will continue, because it’s unacceptable that specialist children’s hospice services like Acorns rely on people jumping out of aeroplanes and organising bake sales just to stay afloat.
He is right – while we all want to support hospices, it is nothing short of a scandal that they face such uncertainty. They should have financial stability, guaranteed from central government. The alternative is that some will simply cease to exist.
The nation knows it is in challenging times. Yet the lack of provision for elderly, for those near the end of their lives, and for the most vulnerable is unacceptable.
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