Fifteen jobs axed at cash-strapped hospice

A further two people have taken early retirement as part of a cost-cutting drive which has helped the hospice turn a corner, according to acting chief executive Graham Archer.

But Mr Archer insisted the departures, which included senior managers, admin staff, receptionists and shop staff, will not affect patient care.

He said: “The problem with the hospice was that its running costs exceeded its income and it was clear that this could not be sustained. The board of trustees had no choice but to take drastic action.”

Barnsley Hospice costs about 1.6 million a year to run. The Primary Care Trust pays half and the rest has to come from fundraising and income from hospice shops and lottery tickets.

In April the hospice was given a Department of Health grant of more than 600,000 to build an extension and improve facilities. But the money could not be used to cover operating costs.

Mr Archer said: “It would be awful if all the wonderful facilities we have could not be used because we could not afford to pay staff to provide the palliative care and support needed by the people of Barnsley.

“We need the same level of support and commitment from the public as we have always had, be it in supporting our events, making donations, or giving up their time to work as volunteers.”

The role of volunteers is set to be boosted in the new slimmed-down hospice. Mr Archer said he hopes to increase the 400-strong team by a further 75 people.

He said: “We are going back to grassroots, by that I mean volunteers, because that’s something that wasn’t happening. There are lots of things volunteers do at other hospices that they weren’t doing here. We’re going to go back to that.”