Swindon's Prospect Hospice is facing a £1million deficit this year. (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster) Hospices are receiving “woefully inadequate” funding to deal with an “incoming tsunami” of patients needing end-of-life care, a desperate sector leader has warned. Chief executive Jeremy Lune is battling to prevent further cuts at Prospect Hospice in Swindon in the face of a £1 million shortfall this year.
On a recent visit to the hospice, the Daily Express witnessed how it has become a thriving community hub, providing a lifeline for patients and families during their darkest days. It costs around £8.5 million annually to run Prospect - but just a quarter of this comes from the Government via the NHS.
Generous donors, a network of 18 charity shops and a "Save Our Hospice" campaign have kept the doors open, but the centre has been forced to slash its inpatient beds from 12 to six. READ MORE: Funding cuts will force children’s hospices to axe key family services Prospect's chief executive Jeremy Lune warned of an 'incoming tsunami' of need for end-of-life care. (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster) Jeremy said: “Hospice funding is woefully inadequate at the moment - that is a fact.
In the last 10 years, the amount that we receive from the NHS has not increased in real terms at all. “The cost of living crisis and so on mean that in real terms, it has decreased. And the need for hospice services is increasing.
"With an ageing population, people are living longer, they’re li.