Public 'outcry' after hospice charities hit funding crisis ahead of Scottish Budget

5,000 people from across Scotland have written to their local MSPs
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


Thousands of people from across Scotland have written to their local MSPs to voice their support to Scottish Hospices as they face a £25million funding black hole.

In less than a week almost 5,000 members of the public from across the country have sent a letter to their local MSPs asking their elected representatives to support hospices ahead of the Scottish budget on December 4.

The public outcry has led one MSP to formally ask the Scottish Government to ‘propose the scheduling of time for a ministerial statement on funding for hospice care, in light of reports of thousands of emails received by MSPs’.

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This unprecedented move by the Scottish Hospices to ask the public to support them in this way follows years of underfunding by Scottish Government and now with rising costs including the cost of matching NHS pay awards and the increase in employers’ National Insurance, the sector is facing a £25million budget black hole.

The public support for hospices was also backed by 33 cross party MSPs who added their signatures to an open letter from Miles Briggs MSP calling on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to urgently support critical funding for hospices.

Jacki Smart, Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group and Chief Executive of Accord Hospice in Paisley, said: “We have received tremendous support from every part of the country.

“Thank you to everyone who has made their voice heard. People know the value of hospice care and they are determined to do what they can to help us. We are only asking that Scottish Government equally values the contribution which hospices make to our society.

“We simply cannot continue to provide our compassionate care, free of charge to all those who need it without state support. Our statutory funding has remained static, or in some cases, reduced, meaning we have to rely on the kindness and generosity of the public to fund the majority of our services.

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“This is not sustainable. We call on Scottish Government to urgently address our funding gap this year, support pay parity with the NHS and to also move towards a fair and sustainable funding model for all hospices across Scotland. It is only with this commitment from Scottish Government that our hospices will survive.

“We have not made this call lightly. We recognise the fear and uncertainly over the future of hospice care in Scotland is causing for our patients, families, and the public. However, if urgent action is not taken, then hospices will be in the impossible position of having to reduce much-needed services for people at the end of their lives.”

The number of people needing palliative care in Scotland is predicted to increase by over 17% in the next 25 years and the care they need will be more complex, adding to the pressure on an already overstretched NHS. The cost to health and social care services of caring for people in the last year of life is huge, with unscheduled care alone already costing the NHS in Scotland nearly £190 million a year.

People can help support their local hospice by writing to their MSPs here.

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