Birmingham Hospice cuts could mean people die without dignity, MP says

Redundancies at Birmingham Hospice could lead to people dying without the dignity or support they deserve. said a parliamentarian.

Paulette Hamilton, MP for Birmingham Erdington, has written to NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) chief executive David Melbourne about the issue.

She was told the hospice had put 150 staff on layoff, she said, adding that a lack of funding meant it could be reduced to just eight hospital beds.

NHS Birmingham and Solihull said it was working with hospices, adding that funding had increased by more than £500,000 from 2022.

The Labor MP added that she was concerned about the potential loss of highly experienced staff – including specialist doctors, nurses and therapists.

“I would therefore like to understand how ICB plans to support John Taylor Hospice and what financial assistance is being put in place to ensure patients continue to be supported with dignity and care,” she said in her letter.

John Taylor and St Mary’s Hospices merged operations in 2021 and took the name Birmingham Hospice last year.

Last month it was revealed that rising costs had contributed to an estimated £2.4m budget shortfall at the organisation.

Bosses said they had been forced to cut the equivalent of 45 full-time posts – around 14% of the total workforce.

Simon Fuller, CEO of Birmingham Hospice, warned that the cuts would affect patients, staff and the wider care system.

Birmingham Hospice operates 24 inpatient beds – 12 in Erdington and 12 in Selly Park.

The number of beds will now be reduced to 16 in total, with eight at each care centre.

Hospice bosses said in June they had called for talks with NHS commissioners to negotiate extra funding, but the Integrated Care Board (ICB) was also short on funding and needed to make savings.

A spokesman for NHS Birmingham and Solihull said it recognized and valued the services hospices provide to patients.

They added: “End of life care is essential both to allow patients to die in a place of their choice and to ensure there is capacity in our hospitals.”

Funding for hospices has increased by £508,000, equivalent to a 5.9% increase, since the ICB was established in July 2022 and a further £858,000 has been made available to “maintain capacity and support sustainability”, the spokesman said.

“As a valuable part of Birmingham and Solihull’s integrated care system, we are already working with Birmingham Hospice to determine what more can be done and support the future development of their services with system partners,” they added.