Latest news with #HospiceNZ
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Hospices warn critical services under threat amid funding crisis
By Ruth Hill of RNZ Hospices are warning that critical services for the dying are under threat, with nothing for palliative care providers in the Budget. Hospice NZ says government funding only covers about half of what it costs to run New Zealand's 28 publicly funded hospices, but if services collapse, it will end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars more. Jen Nolan, whose younger brother Matt died at Te Omanga Hospice in Lower Hutt in 2019, said she dreaded to think how those final days would have gone without that "incredible, wrap-around care". The weeks following Matt Nolan's diagnosis with stage four melanoma were brutal: brain surgery, radiation, immunotherapy - nothing worked. It was a devastating blow when doctors said there was nothing more they could do - but Matt Nolan's admission to Te Omanga offered a different kind of healing. "When we walked in, I turned to one of my sisters and said 'God, it's like we've left Hell and we're in Heaven's waiting room'." Her brother's seizures and complex pain needs made it impossible for him to be at home, but Te Omanga became their home. "We could come and we could bring our dogs, he had a lovely room that opened out to the garden. His friends could come. "I walked in one day, and there he was, fast asleep, with two of his buddies also asleep in chairs. They were having a little nap together." Matt Nolan died in July 2019, three months after diagnosis. He had just turned 49. Six years on, Jen Nolan said it was heartbreaking that hospice services were only available to one in three New Zealanders who were dying. "If you face the death of a loved one, and you haven't got the option to go into hospice care, I think that would be a bloody grim place to be. "It was the most supportive and gentle place for us all to be with him. The care he received was outstanding. And I feel what we were shown as we navigated this incredibly difficult time was the best humans can be for each other." It cost $226 million to run the country's hospice services last year, with just half of that provided by the government. Hospice New Zealand chief executive Wayne Naylor said it was disappointing to not even rate a mention in the Budget - especially coming on top of the scuttling of the pay equity claim for hospice nurses. They are currently paid up to 35% less than Health NZ nurses. "That was a real out-of-the-blue sideswipe for hospices and hospice nurses in particular, to have our pay equity claim, which was almost completed, just stop." Indications that the government would not be covering future pay equity settlements for the funded sector were "very problematic". "That then falls back on community to provide more money to support their local hospice. "The alternative is that hospices have to make some staff redundant so that they can increase the salaries of other staff, and that leads to a reduction in services." Health NZ has enough money - Health Minister Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government "values the work of hospices", but he said it was up to Health NZ to do its own negotiations with providers. "This Budget has provided $1.37b to Health NZ to not only deliver an increase in investment for those front-line hospital and specialist services, but also an uplift in investment to that funded sector, which includes primary care, which includes aged care, which includes palliative care." However, Naylor was not optimistic following meetings with Health NZ officials, the most recent one this week. "They told us they had no more funding, that they have no contingency that they can call upon, and the people with whom we met said they had no authority to allocate funding from anywhere else. "So essentially it's a no to funding from Health NZ right now." Assisted dying services receive about $11m a year from Health NZ, in order to ensure equitable access. "Which is fine for the fewer than 1% of people who seek it," Naylor said. "But for the 99% of people who die from an expected illness, only about a third can access hospice care. So there still remains that inequity that needs to be addressed." For dying children, access to specialist palliative care services were even worse. A recent MartinJenkins report found New Zealand's 28 publicly-funded hospices are returning at least $1.59 in health benefits for every dollar of taxpayer money received, including fewer ED and hospital admissions or rest home stays. Add to that the clinical services they directly fund themselves, the public benefit is even higher. Most patients under hospice care are able to stay in their own homes, with brief admissions to hospice for respite or to adjust pain medication. Government 'exploiting' good will - nurses Nelson-Tasman Hospice nurse Donna Burnett loves her work, which is why she has stayed in the job for 36 years. However, the Nurses Organisation delegate said that good-will was being taken for granted by the government, and the end result for many was "burnout". "We can't keep giving the way we are. "Often we're short-staffed. We keep that patient centred care going, but it's coming at a cost. "We can't keep giving like we are and working understaffed because that has an impact on your wellbeing." In a written response, Health NZ said it would shortly begin seeking feedback from the public and the sector on a model of care proposal for adult palliative care. It plans to finalise both the paediatric and adult models of care by the end of the year.
NZ Herald
15-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Northland hospices face dire future without funding increase
'We have had a 90% increase in requests for service across the country, especially in Northland. 'We have an ageing population and people live longer and are then more prone to end-of-life illnesses.' She said they receive about 50% in government funding, and the rest they fundraise. 'That means we have to raise over $4.5 million from the community each year, and in Whangārei we are not a wealthy population so it's not easy. 'This is not sustainable, we won't go past three or four years if we don't get an increase in government funding and that is not an idle threat … We are at risk of disappearing and falling off completely.' She said they have dipped into their reserves, which was not ideal but was necessary to keep services going. 'It's not fair that the community has to fund at the level that they have to.' Mid-Northland Hospice chief executive Cristina Ross echoed the sentiments and said they have to raise around $1.5 million each year. 'We have had significant patient growth in Kerikeri alone. Per capita, Kerikeri has a higher concentration of retirement homes and old-age residential care.' She said while Kerikeri is seen as more well off, there was still a lot of deprivation and people needing their services. 'It's getting really dire. Many hospices are dipping into their reserves just to balance their books, and that is not a sustainable model.' The acting national director for planning, funding and outcomes at Health NZ Te Whatu Ora, Jason Power, said the agency remains committed to ensuring palliative and end-of-life care, and it is working through increases in funding for hospices. 'We are currently working through uplifts or increases for the funded sector, which includes hospice. Hospices will be advised of the level of uplift, with other contracted providers, when the uplift is confirmed.' He said that for the 2023/24 financial year, Health NZ provided $113.6 million in funding to 28 hospices. 'We are committed to working with hospices and a range of other services to ensure palliative care meets the needs of all New Zealanders and their families. We regularly engage with hospices and Hospice New Zealand, and they are very much front and centre of our National Palliative Care Work Programme that is under way.' Hospice NZ chief executive Wayne Naylor said hospices would only see change if more funding was made available. He said Hospice NZ had given the previous Government and Health NZ information on the impact hospices have. It had shown them that on top of the care and support hospices give families, hospices save millions of dollars by keeping people out of ERs and hospitals and helping to reduce visits to GPs. He said each year hospices were having to work harder to raise more money. 'Costs have been escalating a lot over the past five years, and that puts more pressure on communities too.'
Scoop
10-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Dying NZers & Their Families Will Fund The Shortfall Between Pay For A Nurse In A Hospital & A Nurse In A Hospice
Press Release – Hospice NZ We want to record a cry for help for the 19,000 New Zealanders and their families we care for every year help us keep our nurses! says Mr Hospice New Zealands Chief Executive, Wayne Naylor. Hospice New Zealand's Chief Executive, Wayne Naylor, says he extremely concerned about the effect changes to the Pay Equity legislation will have. 'Dying New Zealanders and their families will fund the difference between the pay for a nurse in a hospital and a nurse at a hospice,' says Mr Naylor. Health New Zealand has so far declined to adjust funding so that hospice nurses and their assistants can be paid the same as if they worked at their local hospital. The nursing rates that are paid at the local hospital are set by Health New Zealand and paid for by all New Zealand taxpayers. The pay for nurses working in hospices relies very heavily (at least 35%) on fundraising (such as the local hospice op-shop) and donations from families and communities. 'To fund the widening pay gap is simply beyond the ability of hospices to do,' says Mr Naylor. 'Some have paid their nurses more than they can afford just to keep their nurses and keep providing care. Some can't even do that and are looking to cut back services. 'If these patients were cared for by the local hospital the nurses there would be paid more, but of course the local hospital would be put under huge pressure should that happen. 'We want to record a cry for help for the 19,000 New Zealanders and their families we care for every year – help us keep our nurses!' says Mr Naylor.
Scoop
10-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Hospices At Risk Of Disappearing
Press Release – Hospice NZ Wayne Naylor, Chief Executive, Hospice New Zealand, which represents New Zealands 32 hospices, says without fair and sustainable funding, hospices, and the critical services they provide, are at risk of disappearing. Hospices around Aotearoa New Zealand are at risk of cutting services as underfunding by the government pushes them to the brink. Last year Hospice provided free care to nearly 11,000 people who died last year, almost a third of all deaths in New Zealand, along with another 9,000 people living with a terminal illness. This essential support to people and their whānau cost $226 million. While the government provided $114 million, hospices had to raise a further $112 million through Hospice Op shops, community donations, fundraising and bequests, to keep their doors open. Wayne Naylor, Chief Executive, Hospice New Zealand, which represents New Zealand's 32 hospices, says without fair and sustainable funding, hospices, and the critical services they provide, are at risk of disappearing. 'This Hospice Awareness Week our message has never been clearer. If the Government doesn't act now to invest fairly in hospice care, it is the terminally ill in need of Hospice care and their loved ones who will pay the price. 'Hospices are already facing major disruption and reducing offerings. 'Without more funding, we risk losing these vital services when people need them most,' says Mr Naylor. The unprecedented strain on hospices comes despite the recent release of the Report ' Sustainable Funding for Hospice Services, by research agency Martin Jenkins. The report shows that Hospices are not only a smart investment economically for the health system, they also provide better outcomes. Through providing free, end-of-life care to thousands of New Zealanders every year, they're relieving the pressure on Emergency Departments and freeing up hospital beds. Local hospices are providing taxpayers value by saving the public sector a conservative $110 million dollars per year and returning at least $1.59 in health benefits for every dollar of government funding. Hospice care in the community relieves an already overstretched health system which would otherwise have to care for the thousands of patients and families who use it. Mr Naylor says that a new sustainable funding model needs to be implemented, rather than just talked about. 'We now need to have hard conversations about future funding, particularly as the demand for hospice care continues to rise, as our population grows older and lives longer. It is predicted that the number of people needing palliative care will increase by 50% by 2040. 'We want the government to act and invest now if it is to appropriately meet current and growing future need for high quality end of life care,' says Mr Naylor. A Post Code Lottery 'Many communities aren't in a position to provide the additional millions of dollars required to keep services free, never mind expanding hospice care and extending it to those currently missing out because of where they live or their diagnosis. 'We can't keep relying on the generosity of community to keep our doors open, when costs far exceed our funding, 'says Tony Paine, Chief Executive of Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington. 'We are making savings in non-clinical areas where possible but there's no room to expand our services to meet the needs of a growing population with complex needs,' he says. Hospices are already making cutbacks that include reducing inpatient beds, keeping clinical roles vacant and restricting admissions. 'Many remaining doctors and nurses are even having to take on extra workloads to cover for overstretched GP clinics and aged care facilities in their regions. 'It is the persistent case of post-code lottery that the Government says it wants to remove with its health reforms. Many people are missing out due to their diagnosis, age and where they live,' says Mr Naylor. 'The situation every hospice is in, means having to make some unprecedented decisions this year. 'We don't want to end up in the crisis currently facing hospices in England and Wales where dying people cannot access the care they need when they need it most.' In Numbers: In 2023/2024 Hospice across Aotearoa Provided care to 19,151 people, plus their whānau. Cared for 10,860 people who died. Provided 313,911 face to face visits. Made 394,215 telephone and telehealth interventions to patients and whānau members. 40% of hospice patients died in their own home (compared to just 22% of general population / all deaths stats). Provided 25,105 grief and loss contacts. Had to raise over $112m through their second-hand retail shops, fundraising, donations, and other sources, including from reserves, to keep afloat. What a shortage of funds looks like in terms of disruption and responding to patient needs: Reduction in inpatient beds Delays and freezes on recruitment Restricting admissions and stricter on referrals (meaning those patients on the periphery of need are missing out) Reduced community care – ie stopping the hospital liaison nurse service that helps to support a safe discharge from hospital back into the community Nurses for In-patient beds moving to 12-hour shifts An inability to grow in line with demand is, in itself, a barrier to delivering equitable and timely access to high-quality palliative care. Using hospice doctors and nurses to fill the gaps that GPs and ARC facilities are not able to do at present. The recent Martin Jenkins Economic Report : 'Sustainable Funding for Hospice Services: is both compelling and conservative: Every $1 taxpayers invest in hospice services yields at least $1.59 in system savings Hospices currently save the health system $110 million per year in direct clinical cost They generate $48 million in quality-of-life benefits for patients and their whānau (e.g. returning to work and school earlier with bereavement support) Hospice care reduces ED admissions and hospitalisations
