Once again, the hospice funding crisis has made national headlines this morning, with the devastating news that the number of empty hospice beds across the UK has risen by nearly 27% in the past year – from 300 to 380.
Almost daily, we are hearing reports of hospices being forced to cut services at a time when need and demand have never been greater, and when the NHS is under immense and growing pressure.
Last year at Myton, we launched an urgent appeal to increase the number of open beds from 20 to 25. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our local community, we were able to achieve that goal.
Yet we still have 11 beds that remain closed. This is simply unacceptable when so many people on our waiting list will die before a hospice bed becomes available.
Imagine the emotional weight of making the decision to enter a hospice – already a significant and difficult step for patients – only to be placed on a waiting list, and for families to then face the trauma of their loved one dying in a place they didn’t want to be. No family should have to endure this.
Despite the challenges we have faced since the pandemic, Myton has managed to keep more beds open than most hospices and, rather than cutting back, we have supported more patients each year across our extensive range of services.
This is only possible because of the unwavering support of our community and the exceptional dedication of our staff and volunteers.
We are determined to continue extending our reach, but there is a limit to what our supporters can achieve. Even with them firmly behind us, our services will be at risk without urgent long-term NHS funding reform.
Recent reports highlight deep inequity in how hospices are funded, with some receiving more than 50% of their income from the NHS while the national average is around 33%.
At Myton, we receive just 17% of the £15.3 million required this year to keep our services running.
As costs continue to rise and statutory funding falls in real terms each year, this gap becomes increasingly unsustainable. Without immediate action, the situation will only worsen, putting an essential community asset at risk.
Myton is the only specialist palliative care hospice provider in Coventry and Warwickshire, and the only one offering inpatient beds.
It must be protected if we are to prevent more experiences like the one shared below – and there are many just like it.
I wanted to write to thank you for the care Myton gave to my mum a few weeks ago. I can’t even begin to explain how much it meant to me, my family and, most importantly, my mum.
She battled cancer for just over three years and was the bravest person I’ve ever known. She never once showed fear of her condition or of dying. A couple of weeks before we found ourselves at Myton, she made me take her into hospital with the intention that she wasn’t leaving, that she had come in to die.
We were left in an A&E waiting room for 18 hours before she was given a bed, and over the next few weeks the care didn’t improve.
I found myself more scared than I’ve ever been as she begged me to make them stop trying to treat her and to just let her die. It was a lonely, frightening experience, and I stayed with her 24/7 because I didn’t dare leave her there alone.
I only explain this briefly to show the sheer relief I felt when she was given a bed at Myton. Finally, someone cared. Finally, she was shown the respect and dignity she deserved. The team at Coventry Myton were incredible - that word doesn’t even feel strong enough. They gave us something I can never repay. They brought comfort, eased my anxiety and fear, and made my mum as comfortable as she could possibly be in the circumstances.
I want to thank the amazing care staff, nurses and doctors who looked after my mum and showed such compassion to me and my family during the worst time of our lives. It’s something I will never forget.
I urge you to lend your voice to the growing number of MPs and influencers – locally and nationally – who are standing up for hospice care and fighting to ensure that these vital services are here for generations to come.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Ruth Freeman
CEO, The Myton Hospices