Hospices across New Zealand are being forced to turn away dying patients as they struggle to cope with rising costs and insufficient government funding.
There are 32 hospices nationwide providing palliative care, but the sector says it needs an additional $80 million to $100 million a year from the Government to remain financially sustainable.
Many rely heavily on public donations and volunteers to stay afloat. At Wellington’s Mary Potter Hospice, about half of its funding comes from the Government, with the rest raised through community support.
Chief executive Tony Paine said the model was becoming increasingly unsustainable.
"People are very generous to us even though we know times are tough."
He warned the hospice was now dipping into cash reserves just to keep operating, as funding had not kept pace with inflation and rising wage costs.
At Tōtara Hospice in South Auckland, chief executive Tina McCafferty said they had been forced to significantly reduce the number of patients they can care for.
"To have to add 100-plus patients to Middlemore Hospital or the South Auckland GP network is a burden that we didn’t want to give partners, but those people need care — and we cannot provide that under current funding."
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the Government recognised the issue and was working with Hospice NZ on potential funding increases.
"Health New Zealand is working closely with Hospice New Zealand around what that looks like and how we can continue to invest more to provide better access to palliative care services for patients who are dying and their families up and down our country," Brown said.
Asked whether hospices should receive more funding, he said: "Absolutely — those conversations are currently underway around what that could look like, how we can continue to increase access to those services for patients."
McCafferty said the situation was urgent and warned care would continue to be limited without significant and sustained investment.
"At the end of the day, we can only provide the care that is affordable," she said.
"To provide on that scale is becoming more and more of a challenge with an absolutely tangible lack of investment from consecutive governments."
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