St Oswald’s Hospice, based in Gosforth, told Newcastle City Council’s health scrutiny committee that rising costs and uncertain funding had left it in a precarious position. Chief executive Steph Edusei described the deficit as “very big” and warned that, while the charity has reserves to see it through for now, it cannot sustain such losses long-term.
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00:00St Oswald Hospice, based in Gosforth, told Newcastle City Council's Health Scrutiny Committee that rising costs and uncertain funding had left it in a precarious position.
00:09Chief Executive Steph Adusai described the deficit as very big and warned that while the charity has reserves to see it through for now, it cannot sustain such losses long term.
00:19The financial strain comes from a combination of factors, inflation, rising pay rates in line with the NHS, increases to the national minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions.
00:30The latter alone is expected to cost the hospice an additional £320,000 this year.
00:36Adusai also criticised the government's recent decision to abolish NHS England and bring management under the Department of Health and Social Care.
00:44She said the constant reshuffling of the NHS was an absolute nightmare that made long term planning and collaboration difficult.
00:52While St Oswald received over £250,000 earlier this year as part of a national investment in hospice facilities,
00:58Adusai said that capital grants do not address the core issue of ongoing underfunding.
01:04She called for hospices to be sustainably funded to ensure they can continue to care for patients in the years ahead.
01:10Committee Chair Councillor Wendy Taylor called the situation utterly ridiculous, especially as health leaders aim to reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
01:19Data shared by Marie Curie showed that nearly 9% of people who died in Newcastle and Gateshead in 2023 had three or more emergency admissions in their final months, well above the national average.
01:31The Department of Health and Social Care said it recognises the value of the hospices and pointed to its recent £100 million investment.
01:38But for hospices like St Oswald's, the future remains uncertain without meaningful funding reform.