A hospice in Farnham has joined others across Surrey in backing a national campaign calling for urgent reform to hospice funding.

Phyllis Tuckwell is supporting Hospice UK’s call for fair, sustainable funding.

It is part of a group of Surrey hospices including Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, St Catherine’s Hospice near Crawley, Woking & Sam Beare Hospice and Wellbeing Care, and Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

Hospice UK reports 75 percent of hospices in England are already running a deficit this year as costs continue to rise.

On Wednesday, April 15, a Day of Action at Westminster called on the Government to implement Hospice UK’s four-point plan to protect services and provide sustainable funding for the future.

Giles Tomsett, chief executive of St Catherine’s Hospice, represented the Surrey hospices at the event.

He said: “Adults and children whose lives have been touched by hospice care know how vital it is. Hospices provide free, essential support to thousands of people every year, yet many are now facing impossible decisions about cutting services.

“Hospices will always be charities rooted in their local communities, and we are incredibly grateful for the fundraising support that helps sustain our services. But communities cannot do this alone.

“We are asking the Government to match that commitment with fair, sustainable funding, so fewer people miss out on the specialist end-of-life care they need.”

On average, adult hospices in the UK receive 27 percent of their total expenditure from statutory funding, while children’s hospices receive 18 percent. The remainder is raised through fundraising, including legacy giving, retail income and public donations.

Mr Nigel Seymour, chief executive of Princess Alice Hospice, said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with all hospices in England that are struggling financially. For those forced to cut services, the impact on local people at the most vulnerable time of their lives is clearly devastating.

“We want the Government to fund hospice care fairly and to fully recognise the part we can continue to play in the complex end-of-life healthcare system by relieving the burden on the NHS.”