West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy visits Bury St Edmunds-based St Nicholas Hospice Care following £80,000 funding cut

An MP has written to an NHS body about his concerns over cuts to funding for a Bury St Edmunds-based hospice.

West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy has written to the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) to press the case for reversing a funding cut affecting St Nicholas Hospice Care.

The hospice has had its statutory funding from the ICB removed, leading to the loss of an £80,000 annual grant.

Mr Timothy’s visit follows the launch of a campaign by the hospice about the ‘critical need for consistent and fair funding’ following the funding cut, which it said put people ‘at risk of being left without end-of-life care services’.

Nick visited the hospice on Friday to meet chief executive Linda McEnhill and clinical services director Sharon Basson.

The facility, which has its headquarters and inpatient unit at the rear of West Suffolk Hospital, costs around £8 million to run each year, or £22,000 per day. Although about a fifth comes from statutory funding, the hospice needs to raise a further £17,500 per day.

Nick said: “I was very keen to come to St Nic’s and hear more about the challenges and rewards of working in palliative care and to hear from the frontline what ministers need to do to support hospices.

“I was concerned to hear about the Norfolk and Waveney ICB decision to remove funding for patients at St Nic’s, which continues to care for people from the area, and have written to the ICB about this.

“Seeing this important work going on in West Suffolk is inspiring. It is crucial to ensure St Nic’s continues to receive the financial support it needs to keep helping people.”

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