St Wilfrid’s Hospice proposes changes to services

St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne has proposed changes to its services as part of its drive to make sure the hospice is here for the future.

The proposal comes at a time when two in five hospices nationally are reducing services. “Our costs continue to increase whilst our funding is staying broadly the same,” explains Colin Twomey, CEO at St Wilfrid’s Hospice. “This simply isn’t sustainable. To protect our future and make sure we are here for generations to come, we’re making some difficult but necessary changes.”

As part of a three-year plan to get finances back on track, the hospice has reviewed its services. As a result, it is proposing to stop its Care@Home service, which provides regular visits to patients at home for personal care.

Colin explains: “It is important that, as a hospice, we live within our means and focus on the specialist care that other services cannot provide for local people. The NHS is responsible for providing personal care at home for those who are assessed as eligible, including at the end of a person’s life, and does this through various care agencies that exist in our area. We believe our expertise is best used to support these agencies, rather than duplicating their services.

“I cannot emphasise enough that this proposal is not a reflection on the Care@Home team members or service; we know that they do a brilliant job and are highly valued by patients. But we can’t afford to provide this type of care.”

The proposal does not affect any other area of the hospice’s care, including Community and Inpatient services. “The majority of our care happens out in the community, rather than in the hospice building, and this will continue,” says Colin. “Under this proposal, our clinical team, made up of Nurses, Doctors, Healthcare Assistants, Social Workers and Therapies teams, will continue to support patients with specialist care at home. Our Inpatient Unit will continue to operate. And our help and advice line will remain open for patients, families and professionals.”

The hospice is currently consulting with affected staff about the proposal, and has asked that speculation about the outcome is avoided. “We know this proposal is having an emotional impact on our colleagues, and we are committed to a fair consultation process for them,” says Colin. “Speculation about the outcome is unhelpful at this point. But I would like to

reassure the small number of patients who are currently receiving care from our Care@Home team that we will work to minimise any possible impact on you. No matter the outcome of the consultation, our aim is to ensure that any care you are currently receiving will continue.”

This proposal comes a year after the hospice announced a reduction in its workforce of 450 hours across the organisation. Since then, there has been an extensive programme of work to reduce costs and secure new income. This has included changes to retail operations, cost savings across the organisation through streamlining and efficiencies, partnerships with other local hospices, and exploration of new income sources.

Community support continues to be vitally important to the future of the hospice, says Colin: “I am continually astounded by the amazing support of our local community, who provide us with more than 70% of our funding. Local people have absolutely stepped up when we’ve needed them, and we are hugely grateful. This support is still vital when it comes to local hospice care. So, I would ask anyone who is able to donate, fundraise, shop with us, take part in an event or leave a legacy, to do so; you support will make a real difference.”

St Wilfrid’s Hospice provides high-quality care and support for people across Eastbourne, Seaford, Hailsham, Uckfield, Heathfield (and all points between) with life-limiting illnesses. You can find out more about the work of St Wilfrid’s and how to support the hospice at stwhospice.org