Hospice budgeting for £537,000 deficit
A hospice which offers end-of-life care is budgeting for a deficit in the current financial year of over half a million pounds on its running costs of more than £14m, a report has said.
St Luke's Hospice in Sheffield faced a financial deficit of about £537,000 for 2025-26 despite fundraising efforts, according to its most recent Quality Account report.
There remained "a lot of uncertainty around funding and support" for the 20-bed in-patient hospice in Whirlow, the report stated.
However, the document added that "thanks to careful financial planning, diverse income streams, and strong cost controls, we remain confident in our ability to keep St Luke's sustainable for the future".
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the report said rising staff costs continued to be "a big challenge, especially as NHS pay rises impact the wider job market".
"The National Living Wage, rising National Insurance costs and the general increased costs of running our services all impact our finances," it said.
"Our NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board funding for 24-25 was 23%, with the remaining 77% being raised through our own activity, such as fundraising and retail."
St Luke's, which in 2024 won a Care Quality Commission overall rating of "outstanding", provides end-of-life and palliative care to almost 1,800 people a year and supports their families and carers.
As well as its in-patient centre, the hospice provides care to people in their own homes or care homes, accounting for 88% of its patients.
In the Quality Account report, Jo Lenton, the hospice's new chief executive and chief nurse, said: "This year, we launched our new strategy for 2025-29, which will help us address some of the challenges our communities will face in the coming years, while also strengthening St Luke's sustainability in light of increasing pressures on multiple fronts.
"Our new strategy centres around a new vision of a world where patients and families facing terminal illness don't feel alone, and receive the care and support they need to make the most of precious time, and experience a good death."
The report is expected to be discussed by Sheffield City Council's health scrutiny sub-committee on 5 June.
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