Hospice funding criticised by UK charity chief amid Isle of Man service cuts

Comments come as Hospice Isle of Man confirms redundancies and financial pressures

The chief executive of Hospice UK has criticised funding arrangements for Hospice Isle of Man, describing recent increases as “in reality downlifts” and warning of potential impacts on patient care.

Toby Porter made the comments in response to news that Hospice Isle of Man is making redundancies and changes to some services, citing what it describes as “increasingly unsustainable” financial pressures.

In a post shared publicly, Mr Porter says hospices were facing a situation where apparent funding increases were not keeping pace with rising costs. He argued that the level of government support available to Hospice Isle of Man was insufficient, particularly at a time when demand for palliative care is expected to grow.

He also raises concerns about the timing of the changes, noting that they come ahead of the anticipated introduction of assisted dying legislation on the Island. Mr Porter believes the situation could be “very worrying” for patients, families, and staff, given assurances that high-quality palliative care would remain available.

Referring to figures cited in recent reporting, he notes that government funding is said to cover around 37 percent of core clinical staffing costs, with an allocation of £1.8 million for the 2026-27 financial year, up from £1.755 million.

Mr Porter suggests that, in real terms, this represented a reduction in funding when accounting for rising staffing costs, which he estimated could have increased by at least five percent over the same period. He describes the proportion of funding as “small” and argues it left hospices with limited options beyond reducing services.

Glenfaba and Peel MHK Kate Lord-Brennan described Mr Porter's remarks as not “very well informed or conducive to getting a political solution”, while accusing him of failing to “understand the situation”.

Hospice Isle of Man says it requires around £7.5 million annually to operate, with government funding accounting for a minority of its income.

The organisation has been running at a deficit for several years and says it has had to make “very difficult decisions” to reduce costs, including offering voluntary redundancies and refocusing services.

The charity has stated it will prioritise maintaining its core services, including its in-patient unit, Hospice at Home, and Rebecca House Children’s Hospice.

The Department of Health and Social Care and Manx Care have said they are working closely with the hospice to ensure continuity of care, and have committed to reviewing long-term funding arrangements for palliative and end-of-life services.

Minister Claire Christian has maintained 'essential core services' will remain protected.