Ashgate Hospice – response statement

NHS Derby and Derbyshire has provided a response to media organisations in response to statements made by Ashgate Hospice.

Amanda Sullivan, Chief Executive of NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board, said:

We greatly value the work of the hospice sector and we are sorry to learn from Ashgate Hospice about their proposals to cut services.

We believe the level of funding we provide to Ashgate Hospice is fair when compared with benchmarks for the hospice sector nationally and it is also in line with NHS England guidance.

Our core contract value with Ashgate Hospice has increased in value by 55% since 2022/23. The request for a multi-million pound increase in funding during this financial year is especially difficult and at a time when the whole health system is under extreme financial pressure, and when no additional services would be provided.

We have been working with the Ashgate team over several months to understand why their costs have risen so significantly this financial year. We have offered to support Ashgate in reviewing the way care is provided for the North Derbyshire community, working in partnership with health, social care and the voluntary sector.

We will now work with Ashgate and the rest of the health and care system to mitigate the impact of these proposals.