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The Government has recently announced funding for non NHS-organisations for one-off payments. Eligible non-NHS organisations including charities and social enterprises can apply for funding to deliver one-off payments to staff, but it is unlikely that hospices will be eligible due to technicalities around staff contracts.
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In response, Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK says: Hospices are delivering essential care and their staffing costs are rising. We estimate that hospices need an extra £120m to pay their staff a wage equivalent to their NHS colleagues, which they richly deserve. However, we are concerned that many hospices will not be eligible for the funding announced today.
Hospices spend 71% of their costs on staff and the cost of paying their dedicated staff a fair wage is increasing. Hospices provide vital care for dying people, but they are having to meet rising costs through further fundraising. This is becoming increasingly untenable, and threatens the future of the care hospices provide.
We need urgent clarity on whether hospices can benefit from this funding, and the Government to commit to funding to help all hospices to pay their staff in the Autumn Budget.
