Dr Kershaws’ CEO heads to Parliament to champion hospice funding reform
Dr Kershaw’s Hospice CEO Adele Doherty joined hospice leaders in Parliament to advocate for hospice funding reform, urging MPs to support changes in the government’s 10-year health plan to improve palliative care and address financial sustainability issues.
Dr Kershaw’s Hospice chief executive Adele Doherty stood inside Parliament on Tuesday and told MPs the hospice’s £3.3 million annual bill is now two-thirds funded by cake sales and charity runs, warning that the model “is simply not sustainable.”
Doherty, representing the Greater Manchester Hospices Provider Collaborative, urged legislators to sign a joint letter to the Minister of State for Health and Social Care demanding that the government’s forthcoming 10-year health plan overhaul palliative-care funding. She pointed to figures showing that of the £11.7 billion the UK spends on care in patients’ final year, 80 % flows to hospitals while only 4 % reaches hospices, even though hospice care “keeps people in the community, reduces hospital admissions and speeds up discharges.”
Since 2020, hospice operating costs across Greater Manchester have jumped 33 %, and with demand rising and living costs at record highs, “greater financial pressure is being put on residents,” Doherty said. The nurse of 37 years added: “People deserve to die with compassion and dignity, but due to underinvestment and rising costs, many hospices are struggling to maintain their services. By investing more in hospice care, we would not only be meeting the needs of patients, but supporting the NHS for future generations.”
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