Wes Streeting says ‘thank you’ to Saint Francis Hospice and acknowledges financial pressures
Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting thanked Saint Francis Hospice for the care it provides to the community and recognised the financial pressure the hospice sector faced to ensure a good death for everyone.
Wes Streeting, MP for Ilford North, made a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday 12th September following Lord Darzi’s report into the damming failings of the NHS.
Responding to a question by Alison Bennett, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex, who asked for assurances that fixing the hospice sector will be part of the solution to reforming the NHS, he said,
“I am so grateful for that question, not least because it gives me the chance as a constituency MP to say a huge thank you to Saint Francis hospice and Haven House children’s hospice for the care they provide to constituents, like so many other hospices around the country.
“I know that the sector is under real pressure. We look forward to working with the sector throughout the period of the spending review and the 10-year plan, not only to support our hospices but to improve end-of-life care, which is pertinent to debates that I know this House and the other place will have about how we ensure a good death for everyone, in every part of the country.”
Grazina Berry, CEO at Saint Francis, said, “We are grateful to Wes Streeting for expressing his appreciation of the hospice sector and especially Saint Francis Hospice that has been serving his constituency for 40 years, and our neighbour, Haven House Children's Hospice.
“We are looking forward to welcoming him to Saint Francis Hospice soon. We are also encouraged by the commitment expressed in Dr Darzi’s report to supporting community care, of which hospices play a vital role.
“We have a good relationship with our NHS partners and by working together, and with the continued support of our local community, we are confident we can secure the future of our outstanding palliative and end of life care services for people living in Havering, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Brentwood and West Essex.”
Saint Francis Hospice receives fantastic support from its local community, but Grazina highlighted that with 69% of funding coming from donations and charitable giving, the charity can never guarantee how much income it will receive year on year.
She said collaboration with its NHS and community partners will be key to ensuring local people who are seriously ill can live and die well in the place of their choosing. At the same time, investing in hospice care will ease the pressure off the NHS by preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and freeing up beds.
“Saint Francis Hospice is not in crisis, but financial pressure is ever present,” she said.
“The past few years have brought unprecedented challenges. The population in all our catchment areas is predicted to grow by more than 100,000 in the next 10 years and there will be even more need for our Hospice services as the number of people living with dementia and other complex illnesses rises.
“With the increase in diversity in our boroughs, it is clear palliative and end of life care needs and expectations amongst our communities will differ significantly from borough to borough and are already changing rapidly, calling for tailored and dynamic ways to care for people, both on site and increasingly more in the community.”
Grazina said the hospice remains committed to investing in the future of palliative and end of life care for them, as it develops its new strategy, but assurances were needed that statutory funding will continue and develop in line with the changing community needs and the rising service delivery costs.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our hospice partners and colleagues, to safeguard and evolve the services we provide, so that as a sector we become more resilient and can focus on a more sustainable future,” said Grazina.
