URGENT action is being taken at St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester to save cash.
Job losses and a redesign of its clinical services are measures being made by the charity to tackle unsustainable rising costs, growing demand for its care and to address its budget deficit.
Earlier this year the hospice confirmed it faced a million-pound hole in its budget following a real term reduction in income received from the NHS, big increases in costs, alongside increasing need for its care services as people live much longer with multiple, complex conditions for which there is no cure.
St Richard’s has now identified and made £613,000 of savings across its operations.
However, a further reduction of £364,000 must be found to reduce the hospice’s deficit to a sustainable position. It is therefore proposing to redesign care services, introduce new ways of working and restructure its workforce which could result in the loss of approximately 10 jobs.
There is no planned impact on hospice patient beds available or care provision across the county.
Chair of trustees Jenny Cowpe said: “It’s with very heavy hearts that we now face the prospect of making highly qualified, compassionate and caring professionals redundant and we’re doing everything we can to support colleagues.
“By transforming services and restructuring our workforce now, the hospice is ensuring it can return to a sustainable budget as soon as possible. While we have always operated prudently, and have savings to draw upon for now, we are not underwritten by the government or the NHS. If we run out of funds, the hospice wouldn’t be here anymore.”
Chief executive Mike Wilkerson added: “Over recent months we’ve found huge savings across the organisation by cutting non-pay budgets, freezing recruitment, removing vacant roles and supporting employee requests to reduce working hours, all while working hard on successful large-scale income generation projects like the great Waddle of Worcester art trail.
“While our fundraising and retail operations will continue to help bring in the income we need over the longer term, they could not help us tackle the impact of rising costs and we’ve been forced to take more urgent action.
“We recognise that this period of uncertainty will be unsettling for our team, volunteers, patients and families. While this decision is one we wish we didn’t need to make, securing the long-term future of St Richard’s is at its heart.”
