An important update from Garden House CEO, Lisa Hunt
A few weeks ago, we asked our community to stand with us once more as we faced a significant £750,000 funding gap this year - rising to £1.1 million next year. To date, we have received £134,075 in donations from those who heard our call. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and the belief you continue to show in us.
Sadly, despite this incredible support, it isn’t enough. Today, we face the most serious challenge in our Hospice’s history.
We receive 29% of our total funding from the NHS for core hospice and health services that they commission and fund on behalf of patients, leaving us to raise the other 71% through charitable donations. Sadly, this year there has been a decline in giving across the charity sector, and Garden House Hospice Care has been affected by this too.
We have raised our concerns locally and nationally and asked the NHS to help us to meet the shortfall in our funding. The NHS has confirmed that there will be no reduction in their funding this year, and they will maintain our current funding levels next year, with a potential uplift in line with national guidance - equating to around £45,000 against our £1.1 million shortfall. While we appreciate this minor increase, this still leaves Garden House Hospice Care with some difficult decisions to take now, to ensure that we will still be here to support our local community this year and in the years to come.
We now have no choice but to act, so implementing a plan we never wanted to use is our only way of sustaining Garden House for the future. We are confident that taking immediate action will enable us to protect hospice care for our current and future patients and their families.
It is with great sadness, we are entering a formal 30-day consultation on services, which we expect could result in over 20 redundancies. Our focus is on supporting patients, family members and colleagues through this uncertain time whilst we face our new reality.
Our full range of services will remain unchanged throughout this consultation period.
In the future, services may look different, structures may change but one thing is for certain - our commitment to quality and compassionate care in the final phase and days of life for our patients, their families and carers remains our biggest priority.
The silence from national decision-makers is deafening. Hospices across the UK have been warning of this crisis for years. Two-thirds faced a funding shortfall last year, and this year 40% of hospices are being forced to cut services. This is expected to rise. This is not just a funding crisis - it is a care crisis.
We vow to continue to put our patients first and to support them through any changes to their care. We are and will continue to do everything we can to minimise the impact on them and their loved ones.
The care we provide is irreplaceable. Our holistic model encompassing specialist medical, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological and spiritual care - makes us uniquely placed to deliver high-quality end of life care both in the Hospice and out in the community. Every member of our team plays a vital role in supporting patients and their loved ones at the most difficult time in their lives.
To secure that care for the future, we must urgently review every service we provide. Services that have an impact on both physical and mental wellbeing - services about prevention, about supporting people to live their best lives with adequate care wrapped around them. We have and always will go the extra mile for our patients and community and have bridged a real gap in services in our locality. Unfortunately, we don’t have the funds to continue our current level of provision. If we don’t take drastic action now, we could completely threaten our whole hospice.
Our consultation is now underway. We must remove £1.1 million from non-NHS commissioned services before April 2026.
I share the public’s view that no one should endure long waits on trolleys in A&E. I have deep empathy and frustration for those who can’t access a GP, who face repeated surgery delays and endless cancellations. But I must be clear: we are not in competition with those challenges. An elective operation can be rescheduled. A death cannot.
We will continue fighting for our patients, for our staff, and for the right of everyone in our community to receive dignified, compassionate care during the last phase of life.
We need our community’s voice and support now more than ever. Please continue standing with us as we fight to protect Garden House Hospice Care.
