[BobbyB]

Services cut as hospice feels force of recession
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 09:57


ROWCROFT Hospice is to cut its day care services due a funding crisis which has left it with a £500,000 budget black hole.

The centre in Avenue Road, Torquay, will lose the money this year due a drop off in legacies, and falling property prices and share values.

The hospice, which provides quality care for more than 1,000 people with terminal illnesses across the Bay and South Devon, told users on Monday it had to take the drastic action due to harsh economic realities.

Many of those who use the day centre were reduced to tears by the news.

James Paul, from Paignton, whose wife June has been using the centre since 1998, said: "I wasn't there when she was told but I know she was really upset.
"She started to cry because the day services are a massive part of her life."

June, 63, who is confined to a wheelchair and suffers from motor neurone disease, is one of many people who rely on the Rowcroft day services.

James said: "She goes twice a week. They feed her, talk to her and she can meet friends. They do a fantastic job and it gives me time to have a break from caring.

"You would think that if the Government can find time to help out the banks and the motor industry it could find the funds to help Rowcroft."

Started in 1982, the hospice costs £5.6million to run each year. The NHS funds 23 per cent, but the rest is raised from voluntary contributions such as bequests.

The average estate is now worth 25 per cent less than a year ago and shares have lost significant value.

Giles Charnaud, Rowcroft's chief executive, admitted the 're-structuring' had not been planned.

He added: "The hospice has sufficient resources to manage in the short term but now we have to plan for a very different future.

"This move will ensure we can reduce costs while still continuing to deliver excellent clinical services and emotional support for our patients and their loved ones."

The changes will affect current day services such as physiotherapy, massage and relaxation techniques.

All day patients will continue to have full access to Rowcroft's services, but they will only be available by appointment and for shorter periods of time.

The hospice hopes to save £140,000 by moving staff out of day services and filling vacancies in other departments.

Further savings will be made by using cash reserves. But the charity admits the changes are only a stop-gap to see it through the next 12 months.

After that it will look to balance the books by increasing fundraising in the community and focusing on core medical services.

The hospice is in talks with other health trusts about providing care for the 'small number' of out-patients who will no longer find the services they need at Rowcroft.

Mr Charnaud said the recession meant the hospice had to change the way it raised money.

"The number of legacy notifications to Rowcroft is also in decline. The generosity of previous generations has provided a significant proportion of the hospice's funding.

"In the future we will re-double our fundraising efforts with the local community and we are also in the process of re-negotiating our funding from the local NHS care trusts," he said.

http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/ne...l/article.html