West Sussex MP Calls for Government Aid for St Catherine’s Hospice

A Member of Parliament for West Sussex has called on the government to offer assistance to a hospice located within the county. St Catherine’s Hospice, situated in Crawley, has been compelled to lay off 40 staff members and reduce its services because of elevated operational expenses. The facility, which possesses 24 beds, is currently able to utilize only 12 of them due to budgetary limitations. Peter Lamb, the Labour MP for Crawley, expressed apprehension regarding the hospice’s prospects during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, stating that the job losses occurred “following years of real-terms cuts to their funding”. The hospice, which delivers services throughout West Sussex and Surrey, disclosed the redundancies in September, simultaneously confirming the necessity of achieving £1.5 million in savings. Addressing the House of Commons, Mr. Lamb remarked: “St Catherine’s Hospice, serving my constituency of Crawley, has recently made a number of redundancies. Palliative care is hugely important to our communities, and I pay tribute to them for their work.” He further inquired: “Can the prime minister join me in thanking the work of St Catherine’s [Hospice] and outline how the government will look to support palliative care moving forwards?” Concurring with his fellow Labour member, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer affirmed his recognition of the “vital role that hospices play in providing support to people at the end of their life”. He noted that the majority of hospices obtain funding through the provision of NHS services, stating that this “will be set out in the usual way”. Previously, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care indicated that an additional £26 billion might be allocated to health and social care, attributed to “the choices the chancellor made in the Budget”. Giles Tomsett, the hospice’s chief executive, conveyed that he was “heartbroken” by the job losses. Additional reductions have led to the discontinuation of the St Catherine’s Hospice at Home service and a 24/7 patient helpline now operating with curtailed hours, from 08:00 to 16:00 GMT, Monday through Friday. The hospice also stated that it has revised its referral criteria to prioritize individuals requiring more intricate care.