HOSPICES today warn they are in the grip of their worst ever financial crisis – just as Britain votes on whether to pass the Assisted Dying Bill.
A shocking new survey reveals that 75 per cent of hospices are in deficit, up from 70 per cent last year.
Care leaders warned that if the assisted dying law is passed, some Brits end their life because they cannot get the care they need.
Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said: “Hospices are stuck in a doom loop.
“Last year was the worst financial year on record, and this year is looking even worse.
“We can’t fundraise our way out of this crisis, skydiving won’t save hospices. We urgently need fair and long-term NHS funding to avoid a financial cliff edge.
“With assisted dying potentially on the horizon, we must make sure hospice care is available for everyone who needs it.
“Right now, with many hospices cutting services, it’s a real worry that people might choose assisted dying because they can’t get the care they need.”
A major new survey of 115 hospices up and down the country lays bare the financial difficulties they are in.
It reveals that 83 per cent of hospices expect their financial position to be worse than last year.
That was already the worst financial year on record for the hospice sector.
Some two in five hospices are planning to make cuts.
The majority of funding for spices comes from charity, with events like marathons key for keeping the centres open.
Only around 40 per cent of the money hospices get comes from the government.
Hospices want specialist palliative care they provide to be funded by the NHS.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Hospices do incredible work to support people and families when they need it most and are facing incredibly tough pressures.
“This government has made the biggest investment in hospices in a generation – £125 million – to improve hospice facilities, freeing other funding for patient care, and has also committed £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over three years.
“We will soon set out our plans to modernise and improve the palliative and end of life care sector, in which hospices play a vital role.”
The Assisted Dying Bill is currently being debated in the House of Lords, where peers have tabled hundreds of amendments.
It is a Private Members Bill – meaning it has not been given government backing.
But its backers are threatening to use a constitutional loophole – known as the Parliament Act – to try to force it through in the face of opposition.
Meg Hillier: Rushing life of death issues would be unforgivable
Right now, the House of Lords is debating whether to legalise assisted dying. I know some Sun readers will strongly support this change; others will strongly oppose it. Many will be unsure.
But surely we can all agree on one thing: a decision this big – a matter of life and death – must be done properly.
Everyone that is, except for the Bill’s backers. They want to rush it through and bypass scrutiny.
Despite hundreds of worrying questions remaining, supporters of this legislation want to force the bill through using something called the Parliament Act.
In plain English, that means overruling wide ranging concerns in the Lords about the safety of these proposed laws and forcing it through anyway.
This should worry supporters and opponents alike. Because experts and professionals from across our country do not think this Bill is safe.
A wide range of the people who would actually have to implement this law – such as doctors, psychiatrists, judges, nursing homes, charities, and organisations for older or disabled people, gave evidence to the Lords that this Bill is a danger to the most vulnerable people in our society.
Many may support the idea of assisted dying but oppose the version of it that would be introduced if this law comes into force.
And these problems go right back to the start. This is a Private Members Bill, which means a backbench MP and not the Government writes it and takes it through Parliament.
This process is totally unsuited for a law of this importance. And it only just scraped through the Commons by 23 votes because MPs were told that the Lords would scrutinise it carefully.
And that’s what the Lords are doing, with every debate revealing more holes and more problems with this proposed law.
We all have a stake in letting them do their job. If we get this wrong, we end up with a deeply flawed bill.
The consequences would be devasting and Parliament would be responsible.
On an issue of life and death, rushing this through would be unforgivable.
