Home Securing our Future Together: A Rallying Call for Compassionate Care at The Kirkwood

Securing our Future Together: A Rallying Call for Compassionate Care at The Kirkwood

The Kirkwood has today announced we are proposing to make significant cuts to services as we face the worst financial crisis in its almost 40-year history. With the hospice facing significant losses this year, we need to reduce our annual costs by £1.7 million to ensure our long-term future.

We need your help more than ever before. If you would like to make a donation to support The Kirkwood at this difficult time, please click the donate button below.

 

We understand this is a really difficult message and many people will feel unsettled by this announcement. We want to assure patients, families and carers that are currently in our care, that this will not affect the care and support they are receiving. Any changes in service will be phased in later this year and we will communicate them as soon as we can. 

With the hospice sector in financial crisis across the country, The Kirkwood, which provides palliative and end of life care for people living in Kirklees, is facing a number of significant challenges. With more and more demand for our services than ever, the cost of caring for patients and families has skyrocketed over the past few years.

Huge increases in the price of essential items such as medicines, equipment, energy and even food have had a major impact on our finances. With staff salaries making up the majority of our £11m annual costs, salary pressures due to inflation, the rise in the National Living Wage over the past three years, and the upcoming National Insurance rise for employers have also pushed up the cost of paying a fair wage to our dedicated staff.

Just 25 percent of The Kirkwood’s funding comes from the NHS, and we rely on the generosity of the general public to fund the majority of our services. But the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has also had a huge impact on supporters’ ability to donate, volunteer and support the hospice’s fundraising campaigns.

We expect to make a significant loss this year, with total losses amounting to £4 million in the past three years. With dwindling reserves too, we need to reduce our costs by £1.7 million per year in a bid to put our finances back on a secure footing.

As part of the proposed changes, The Kirkwood is looking at cutting back on the range of community and support services we offer across Kirklees, as well as potentially reducing the number of beds in the hospice’s In-Patient Unit.

It is also likely we will need to shrink the size of our workforce in line with these service cuts, with around 33 roles at risk across the charity. The Kirkwood currently employs 254 staff, supplemented by a group of bank workers.

Michael Crowther, The Kirkwood’s Chief Executive, said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for The Kirkwood. Our ability to offer care for the people of Kirklees is being tested like never before. We are devastated to have to make this announcement, but like so many other hospices, we are facing a financial crisis that puts at risk the very services we have fought so hard to build and maintain.”

The Kirkwood plays an important role in the local healthcare system, offering compassionate, expert care for people affected by life limiting illness – like cancer, heart failure, motor neurone disease and chronic lung conditions – and helping to reduce the burden on overstretched NHS services.

“Demand for hospice services is increasing year on year. We’re now supporting patients with more complex needs, and we’re caring for people for longer too.

“We’ve been working hard for the past few years to bridge the gap between our costs and the money we are able to bring in, but despite our best efforts, we simply haven’t been able to raise enough funds to keep up with the ever-rising cost of providing care. We’ve been relying on reserves to plug the hole in our finances, but we can no longer afford to do this.

“If we don’t do something urgently, it will become almost impossible for us to cope with any more unexpected financial pressures, and that puts the very future of our charity at risk.

“We know how difficult this message will be for the patients and families currently in our care, as well as for people across our community who may rely on us in the future. We are currently considering how our services will need to change, and as soon as we know more, we will inform our patients and families.

“We will do everything we can to minimise the impact of any changes we make.”

Over the past few months, we have been working with Hospice UK and other hospices across the country to seek support with the financial challenges being faced across the sector, but the government’s recent announcement of £100 million in additional funding for hospices is restricted to capital spend, meaning none of the funds can be used to support day to day running costs.

Despite positive conversations with both local and regional NHS commissioners, they are currently unable to offer any additional support. Following these setbacks, we must take decisive action now to protect the future of our charity.

Michael said: “We have explored every possible way to avoid getting to this position, including lobbying our NHS partners and the government for increased funding to help with our running costs, introducing cost saving measures and trying to find new sources of income.

Although we are not planning to close any of our core clinical services, the proposed changes will impact every area of the charity and will mean a reduced range of services in the future.

Michael said: “We currently support over 2,000 patients and their loved ones each year. But given the situation we are now in, it simply won’t be possible to maintain our full range of services and, sadly, we anticipate the number of people we are able to support will have to reduce to around 1,200.

“This has been the single hardest decision we have ever had to make, but quite simply, we have to make it now to ensure the long-term survival of our vital local charity.”

“We know just how difficult this is for our colleagues, who go above and beyond every single day to provide the very best care for the patients and families in our care. We will do everything we can to support our colleagues during this tough time.

During this difficult time, we need your help more than ever.

If you would like to read our full statement, click on the button below.

 

How can I support The Kirkwood right now?

Whether you’re already supporting us or you’d just like to help make a difference right now, you have the power to make a real impact.

By getting involved, in whatever way you can, you will be helping to ensure that local people will continue to have access to the very best care – not just today, but for future generations.

 

 

Here are just a few ways you can help:

If you would like to read our full statement, click on the button below.

If you would like to make a donation to support our vital care, click on the button below.

Your frequently asked questions

Which services are you planning make changes to? Fallback

We haven’t made any decisions on how these changes will affect individual services yet. We are not planning to cut any specific services completely, but we expect that all of our services will be affected by these proposals.

When are these changes likely to happen? Fallback

We want to assure patients, families and carers that are currently receiving care, that this will not affect the service they receive currently. Any changes in service will be phased in later this year which will be communicated to all as changes occur. 


The Kirkwood understand this is a really difficult time for every one and unsettling.

Will you be able to care for less people in the future? Fallback

We currently provide care for over 2,100 patients and their loved ones each year. But given the situation we are now in, it simply won’t be possible to maintain the full range of services and, sadly, we anticipate the number of people we are able to support will have to reduce to around 1,200.

Will the changes affect the quality of care you provide for patients and families? Fallback

The proposed changes are being taken to ensure The Kirkwood can continue to offer the highest quality, personalised care for everyone who accesses our services. We expect we may not be able to offer as much as before, but we will never compromise the quality of care we do provide.

Will you be reducing or stopping any of the services you currently offer? Fallback

We aren’t planning to stop offering any specific services altogether, but it is likely we will need to make some cuts, reduce capacity and prioritise the people we can support based on their specific needs. These changes may also affect our ability to support some patients and families in the way that we do now.

Why are you in this position? Why has it happened now? Fallback

The Kirkwood has been trying to balance our budgets by cutting costs, but huge increases in the price of essential items such as medicines, equipment, energy and even food have had a major impact on our finances. With staff costs making up the majority of our £11m annual spending, inflation, an increase in the National Living Wage of over 28% since 2021 (37% by 2025), and the upcoming National Insurance contribution rise for employers has tipped the balance.


Like so many other hospices across the UK, we are now facing a financial crisis that threatens the very services we’ve fought so hard to build and maintain.

How short of money are you? Fallback

The Kirkwood expect to make a significant loss this year, with total losses now around £4 million in the past three years. It costs around £11m a year to run the hospice and while we have sufficient reserves to protect our obligations in the short term, we simply cannot afford to make a loss in the next financial year.

I’ve seen in the news that the government is planning to increase funding for hospices – won’t this help? Fallback

Just before Christmas, the government announced a £100 million funding package to support Hospices across England over the next two years. Although the announcement is a positive one, most of the money is restricted to capital spending such as improving buildings, patient accommodation and equipment.


We will do all we can to secure a share of this funding for The Kirkwood but, unfortunately, this money will not be made available to support our running costs.

Have you asked for more support from the NHS? Fallback

Yes. Over the past few months, we have been in discussions with NHS colleagues at both a local and regional level. We have shared the urgent need for additional financial support to help us maintain our services and we are working alongside other hospices in West Yorkshire to seek further support.

Despite positive conversations with NHS commissioners, they are currently unable to offer any additional support.

Why can’t you use your reserves? Fallback

We have taken the difficult decision to use our financial reserves in the past few years to help us cover the gap in our income, and these measures have allowed us to continue supporting patients and families. But with an expected losses of around £4 million in the last three years, we can no longer rely on our reserves to cover our annual costs. The situation requires us to take immediate action.

What have you done to try to avoid this situation? Are there no other options? Fallback

We want to assure our colleagues, supporters and the local community that we have explored – and continue to explore – all possible avenues to prevent our current position. These include:

  • Making savings: We have implemented a range of cost-saving measures. This includes reviewing all non-essential expenditure, looking for alternative sources of income, and seeking efficiencies in all areas of the charity.
  • Income generation: We have worked hard to increase income through various avenues, including growing our existing fundraising lines, launching new initiatives, engaging with donors and exploring new partnerships.
  • Service reviews: We have conducted reviews of all our services to identify areas for improvement and potential efficiencies.

Although we have already taken a number of actions, the financial challenges we face are significant. We’ll continue to look for opportunities to reduce costs and increase our income, but we believe that the proposed changes, while difficult, are necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of The Kirkwood.

Will The Kirkwood be forced to close? Fallback

No. The Kirkwood may get smaller in the short term but by taking these actions now, there will be no fear of closure. We believe the cost reductions we are proposing will help us come through this challenging period and emerge as a stronger, more sustainable charity.


Alongside these changes, we will continue to rely on the incredible generosity of our community and fair funding.

How many of your employees might be affected by the proposed changes? Fallback

As part of the proposed changes, it is likely we will need to reduce the size of our workforce, with up to 33 roles at risk across the charity. We understand the impact this may have on our colleagues and will be respectful and compassionate throughout this process.

Are we planning to close any of our shops? Fallback

We do not have any plans to close any of our shops at the moment. Our shops play an important role in raising funds for The Kirkwood and we will continue to pursue our retail strategy to make sure we maximise the income we can make.

How can I support The Kirkwood right now? Fallback

Whether you’re already supporting us or you’d just like to help make a difference right now, you have the power to make a real impact.

By getting involved, in whatever way you can, you will be helping to ensure that local people will continue to have access to the very best care – not just today, but for future generations.


Here are just a few ways you can help:

If you would like to read our full statement, click here.

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