Struggling hospices fear demand for beds will grow as dying patients can’t afford to heat homes

The cost of living crisis could force dying patients to move into hospice beds as they can no longer afford to heat their homes, it is claimed.

The stark warning comes as the care sector faces soaring energy bills of its own, with the industry predicting a huge hike in costs next year.

Increasing bills could force hospices to close or reduce their services, according to the chief executive of Hospice UK Toby Porter, and Paul Marriot, chief of North East hospice St Cuthbert’s.

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, which represents hospitals across England, warned that if hospices were forced to close or scale back beds it would put further pressure on hospitals’ ability to discharge patients, which was already under “huge strain”.

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Nurses have told The Independent that patients receiving palliative care are already switching off their heating and lighting, with one warning she fears patients could die of hypothermia.

The hospice sector supports more than 225,000 people with terminal or life-limiting conditions in the UK.

Speaking about the impact the cost of living crisis is having on patients, Mr Marriot said: “Here in the North East, for example, many of our patients are already on low incomes and the fact that they are ill increases their costs.

“The key thing is that they are in a time in life when they’ve got less choice around what they do about [costs]. So it’s not an opportunity for them to switch off the heating, it’s not an option for them, just to wear more clothes, it’s not an option for them to see it out until the spring, because they may not be here in the spring.

“They’re already, you know, anxious about their, their loved ones and they don’t want to leave people in debt. They don’t want to leave people in a worse state than they were in, and so as a consequence of that, that’s what leads them to think about moving into a hospice or moving into some other form of care, even though that’s not really the right thing for them to do or what they would prefer to do.”

Some hospices believe their own costs could increase seven-fold as energy prices soar unless the government extends support for businesses next year.

Mr Marriot, who leads a group of 12 hospices in the North East, said one home was set to see costs more than triple, from £40,000 a year to £150,000. Prior to the government’s expansion of energy costs support to businesses and charities, the provider’s bills would have increased to £300,000.

He warned rising food prices had also meant the costs of feeding patients has increased by 10 per cent, while the cost of transporting patients has gone up by 44 per cent.

In response to the increasing financial burden, hospices have warned they may have to cut back services and some may be forced to close.

Mr Marriot warned that if more patients need hospice beds, “that choice would be limited because there aren’t enough hospice places already”.

Nurses caring for patients receiving palliative care at home have told The Independent they fear for patients’ living conditions.

Modupe Banks, a clinical nurse manager in London working for Marie Curie, said: “As the cost of living continues to increase with no matching income, I think there will be an increase in demand for hospice beds as people try to reduce their heating bills going into the winter months.”

“Unless there is immediate help and support to palliative care patients, I fear that there will be an increase in early mortality,” Ms Banks added.

A south London-based clinical nurse manager, Adebusola Olalekan-Sule, said the majority of her team’s patients are already switching off their heating and lights.

She added: “I am scared because I can foresee patients dying at the back of an ambulance or dying of hypothermia ... I am very concerned for their quality of life prior to their death. Every patient deserves a good death.”

Marie Curie has launched a campaign calling for the government to grant dying people protection from soaring energy costs, support with childcare costs and access to their state pension regardless of age.

Mr Porter, chief executive officer for Hospice UK, warned that alongside costs of energy and food, providers will also struggle to match salaries for nursing staff which could lead to increased shortages.

While costs are increasing, hospices’ access to funding streams beyond the NHS is also being impacted with fewer people able to donate, Mr Porter explained.

He also pointed to worsening inequality for patients who are at the end of their life, with hospices in wealthy areas better able to withstand financial hardship.

Mr Porter warned that reductions in hospice care would lead to “more people dying in hospitals, which is generally speaking the wrong place for people to die”.

He said there may be “more people accessing hospice care too late or more people dying in pain waiting for GP and community services which themselves are very overstretched.”

A government spokesperson said it was continuing to support people and businesses with their energy bills, adding: “As part of the NHS Covid response we have made over £400m available to hospices since the start of the pandemic to ensure that they can continue delivering quality care to those who need it.

“Hospices may also be entitled to a reduction in VAT, from 20 per cent to 5 per cent, and exclusion from the main rates of the climate change levy on the energy they use for non-business purposes.”