Bethesda Hospice warns latest funding offer is not enough and “jeopardises” the service
20 August 2019
Bethesda Hospice says it has only been offered only a tenth of the funding needed from health authorities to safeguard the service.
The hospice which cares for terminally-
The four-
NHS Western Isles used to pay half the costs but Bethesda has been forced to shoulder more and more of the financial burden for many years now.
Funding has plummeted to around 30% of costs over ten years or more leaving Bethesda struggling to find 70% of the overheads.
Funding for the hospice is channelled though the Western Isles health and social care partnership, the Western Isles Integration Joint Board or IJB.
But the IJB said it will only sanction an additional £10,000 annually towards the vital service which is facing a severe financial loss this year.
The Bethesda trustees say they cannot afford to keep the facility open on that basis.
A Bethesda spokesperson said the offer was “unsustainable”
The spokesperson stated: “The IJB are well aware that the Bethesda board requires an additional £100,000 per year to bring financial stability for the future, due to a funding standstill from NHS Western Isles.
“The hospice cannot accept a settlement which leaves it significantly short of funds.
“The additional £100,000 per annum is a nominal amount from an IJB budget of £60 million per annum.
“This will help to secure a well utilised service for the future.”
Bethesda trustees felt they were unable to accept the offer proposed by the IJB as it is putting the organisation “at risk and jeopardising the service.”
“The Scottish Government have always wanted to support hospices and have legislation in place to ensure 50% of the running costs should be met by Health Boards, whilst the other 50% is raised through fundraising.
“Despite NHS Western Isles receiving an increase in their funding each year from the Scottish Government, for the last 11 years NHS Western Isles has not passed on any uplift in funding, despite increasing costs.
“In effect, they have not fulfilled their obligations.
The offer of an additional £10,000 per annum plus a probable 2.5% increase for the following two years is offered on a baseline that is 11 years out of date.
“In order to ensure the hospice continues the services the Bethesda trustees have asked the IJB to bring their funding contribution up to date and fund the 50% of the running costs as the Scottish Government has always wanted.”
Bethesda said deficit in the IJB funding is £100,000 per year -
While the facility is “very well supported” by the community, “we also need our IJB to support the hospice or it will not be sustainable for the future.
A IJB spokesman said: “The Integration Joint Board recognises Bethesda is an important partner in the delivery of residential and hospice care within our local care environment.
“However, we are concerned by the public presentation of ongoing negotiations.
“A projected 10% increase in funding over three years has been offered in support of a new agreement with the health board, along with a guarantee to reopen negotiations should Bethesda find itself in financial difficulty.
“Despite public claims to the contrary, no evidence has been presented that Bethesda is currently an organisation in financial distress.
“It carries adequate financial reserves and we would expect these to be used to address
any short-
“Should the organisation experience a longer term down-