Health: Cambridge hospice launches emergency appeal

A sudden £800,000 slash to funding sees Arthur Rank Hospice Charity launch the Protect Our Care campaign

‘Devastating cuts’ to the funding of Cambridge’s Arthur Rank Hospice Charity could see nine beds cut - leaving up to 200 patients a year unable to access vital end-of-life care.

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), which runs the city’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital, has helped fund the hospice’s work since 2018. But its £829,000 annual support payment has been cut.

Impacting the Inpatient Unit at the hospice, reducing bed capacity from 21 to 12, the news is, says Arthur Rank CEO Sharon Allen, ‘truly heartbreaking’.

“Essentially, this now means that more than 200 people a year will no longer have the option of being cared for in the comfort of our hospice,” she explains, “and instead will sadly be dying in a busy hospital without the level of privacy for lasting memories, nor the expertise and outstanding care provided by our experienced, compassionate palliative care nurses.”

To give the team time to explore new funding opportunities, plan for increased fundraising needs, and bridge the immediate gap in funding, the charity has launched the Protect our Care campaign, calling on the Cambridgeshire community to support in any way they can. This could be through a one-off donation, signing up to become a Friend of Arthur Rank Hospice via a regular gift, or considering a gift in their Will.

CUH informed the hospice that it is no longer able to fund the service due to financial constraints and stressed the decision was not a reflection of the quality of care provided by Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, which has been serving the community for more than 40 years and is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The funding stops in six months.

Adds Sharon: “Without question, we know these beds are still very much needed by our community, and removing this choice from them is totally unfair. We do not want to see more people dying in hospital when we have a purpose-built hospice and exceptional, caring and experienced teams.

“We are now in the desperate position where we need to seek alternative funding to keep these vital beds available. We now need to ask our supporters to urgently rally round us and support in any way possible to protect our care, now and in the future.”

To find out more and make a donation, visit arhc.org.uk/protectourcare