– and urges the community to stand with them for funding reform. Once again, the hospice funding crisis has made national headlines, with news that the number of empty hospice beds across the UK has risen by nearly 27% in the past year – from 300 to 380. Reports are emerging almost daily of hospices being forced to cut services at a time when need and demand have never been greater, and when the NHS is under immense and growing pressure.
Last year, The Myton Hospices launched an urgent appeal to increase their number of open beds from 20 to 25. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the local community, the hospice was able to achieve that goal. Yet a further 11 beds remain closed. Ruth Freeman, CEO at The Myton Hospices, said:
“We are incredibly grateful that our community rallied behind us and enabled us to increase our beds so we can care for more people. But with 11 beds still closed, this is simply unacceptable when so many people on our waiting list will die before a hospice bed becomes available.”
Deciding to enter a hospice is already a significant and difficult step for patients. Being placed on a waiting list only adds to the strain, leaving families facing the trauma of their loved one potentially dying somewhere they never wanted to be. Ruth added:
“Making the decision to enter a hospice carries immense emotional weight. To then be told you must wait is incredibly distressing, and no family should have to face their loved one spending their final days in a place they didn’t choose. No family should have to endure this.”
Despite the challenges faced since the pandemic, Myton has managed to keep more beds open than most hospices and has continued to support more patients each year across its extensive range of services. This has been made possible by the unwavering support of the local community and the exceptional dedication of staff and volunteers.
However, even with strong community backing, the hospice warns that services will remain at risk without urgent long-term NHS funding reform.
Recent reports highlight deep inequity in hospice funding, with some hospices receiving more than 50% of their income from the NHS, while the national average is around 33%. Myton receives just 17% of the £15.3 million required this year to maintain services. Rising costs and declining statutory funding make this gap increasingly unsustainable, and without immediate action, the situation is expected to worsen, putting this essential community asset at risk.
As the only specialist palliative care hospice provider in Coventry and Warwickshire and the only one offering inpatient beds, Myton plays a vital role in the community. The hospice shared a recent patient story to illustrate the importance of timely care:
“I wanted to write to thank you for the care Myton gave to my mum a few weeks ago. I can’t even begin to explain how much it meant to me, my family and, most importantly, my mum.
“She battled cancer for just over three years and was the bravest person I’ve ever known. She never once showed fear of her condition or of dying. A couple of weeks before we found ourselves at Myton, she made me take her into hospital with the intention that she wasn’t leaving, that she had come in to die.
“We were left in an A&E waiting room for 18 hours before she was given a bed, and over the next few weeks the care didn’t improve.
“I found myself more scared than I’ve ever been as she begged me to make them stop trying to treat her and to just let her die. It was a lonely, frightening experience, and I stayed with her 24/7 because I didn’t dare leave her there alone.
“I only explain this briefly to show the sheer relief I felt when she was given a bed at Myton. Finally, someone cared. Finally, she was shown the respect and dignity she deserved. The team at Coventry Myton were incredible – that word doesn’t even feel strong enough. They gave us something I can never repay. They brought comfort, eased my anxiety and fear, and made my mum as comfortable as she could possibly be in the circumstances.
“I want to thank the amazing care staff, nurses and doctors who looked after my mum and showed such compassion to me and my family during the worst time of our lives. It’s something I will never forget.”
The Myton Hospices is urging the public to join the growing number of MPs and influencers standing up for hospice care and fighting to ensure these vital services are here for generations to come. Ruth commented:
“We are working alongside Hospice UK to fight for fair, sustainable funding, but we can’t wait. We need our community to stand with us now. We need people to speak up, donate if they can and help us protect these essential services for the future. Because no one should face the end of life alone.”
For more information or to make a donation, visit www.mytonhospice.org/Act
——————-
At The Myton Hospices we believe that everyone matters for every single moment of their life; we focus on enhancing life when cure is no longer an option. We are not just about end of life care, we support patients and their loved ones right from the moment they are diagnosed.
We have three hospices in Coventry, Rugby and Warwick, and we care for people aged 18+ living with a wide range of life-limiting illnesses including Respiratory, Heart & Neurological conditions, Cancer and Organ failure.
At Myton, demand for our Inpatient Units has increased by 11% in the last 12 months, and too many people are dying on the waiting list for this vital service. As the only provider of Hospice Inpatient Beds in Coventry and Warwickshire, we are acutely aware of the need for more, but are limited in what we can provide due to funding constraints.
We are a charity, we are not the NHS, and we have to raise £12.7 million of the £15.3 million it costs this year to continue providing our services free of charge to patients and their loved ones. Just 17% of our funding comes from the NHS. We rely on donations and support from our local communities.
Find out more online at www.mytonhospice.org
Leave a Reply