Today, Oakhaven has received details of its initial allocation of the funding for hospices recently announced by the government.

Oakhaven Hospice has been allocated £157,402 from the overall national release of £25million. This funding is restricted to capital expenditure, meaning it can only be used for upgrades and refurbishments.

Andrew Ryde, Chief Executive of Oakhaven, said, “We are very grateful to the government for the additional funds they are providing. Although we cannot use the money to directly fund the day-to-day cost of our services, these funds will ease the immediate pressure on our financial situation.

“However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. At Oakhaven, just like many other hospices in the UK, we are experiencing increased demand for our services and ever-increasing costs - including the additional national insurance contributions payable from April, from which the NHS is exempt. The implications of the increase to National Insurance changes alone mean an additional cost to Oakhaven of nearly £200,000 every year. The government must consider the longer-term sustainability of hospices to ensure we are able to continue providing end-of-life care and support for our community free of charge. The sector as a whole remains under huge financial pressure and unless there is a more robust approach to NHS support for hospices there will be more hospices facing service cuts and potential closure.

“The government covers just 11% of Oakhaven’s annual running costs, which currently total £9million. For the remaining 89% we rely on the generosity of our community - on donations, gifts in wills, fundraising and income generated by our shops and social enterprise home care provider Oakhaven Care. We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters, who are the reason we are able to continue providing our vital services for patients and families throughout the New Forest, Totton and Waterside.”

For over 30 years, Oakhaven’s expert teams have provided specialist palliative and end-of-life care for patients with a life-limiting illness and support for their loved ones. Currently, the hospice supports over 450 patients at any time, at the 10-bed Inpatient Unit and Day Hospice in Lymington and in patients’ homes throughout our New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities.

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