Hospice 'devastated' to axe jobs and cut services

A hospice is blaming rising costs for its decision to make 18 staff redundant and reduce patient services.

St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham, which employs 124 people, said it faced "growing financial pressures" due the cost of living crisis and a £1.3m deficit.

The facility provides pain management and end-of-life care, as well as dementia and bereavement services.

Chief executive Paul Marriott said the decision had been "devastating" especially as the cuts would also mean 100 fewer people a year would get support to cope with their grief.

St Cuthbert's, which opened in 1988, support 1,000 people a year.

Mr Marriott said: "This has been a painful experience with a horrible impact on services and staff.

"We are saddened to lose such highly skilled, passionate and professional individuals, many of whom have dedicated several years to support people who need us."

He said the cuts would also mean about 150 people a year would be unable to access day services.

The hospice needs to raise £3.8m a year, with 42% coming from the government and the rest through fundraising, donations and gifts in wills.

Last year, it revealed it was facing "unsustainable rising costs" and had a £1.3m deficit.

The hospice, based in Park House Road, said facilities across the country were facing a "financial crisis" with money received from the government "not growing with inflation".

The government said it was looking at how it could "financially support hospices to ensure they are sustainable".

Mr Marriott added: "Everything we have done is to make the hospice sustainable for the future.

"We will continue to challenge the NHS to fund palliative and end of life fairly, which will allow us to meet the demand we experience now and which we know will increase in the future."

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