Sheffield St Luke’s Hospice expects to have £500k deficit in coming year
The charity is among hospices nationwide facing huge financial pressures
St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield is budgeting for a £537,000 financial deficit on its running costs of more more than £14 million.
And it’s not for the first time – despite huge fund-raising efforts, the service expects to face a deficit for 2024-25 as well. A Quality Account report for the hospice states: “As a charity, St Luke’s has a responsibility to manage its finances sustainably, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty around funding and support.
“However, 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.”
The report, which will be discussed next Thursday (June 5) by Sheffield City Council’s health scrutiny sub-committee, adds: “Looking ahead to 2025-26, we’ve set a budget deficit of £537,000. Rising staff costs continue 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. Our SYICB funding for 24/25 was 23%, with the remaining 77% being raised through our own activity, such as fundraising and retail.”
The SYICB is the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
St Luke’s, which in 2024 won a Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 20-bed in-patient centre in in Little Common Lane, Whirlow, the hospice provides care to people in their own homes or care homes, accounting for 88% of its patients.
The patient and family support service “offers social prescribing, practical, wellbeing, and spiritual support for patients and their families or carers from the point of diagnosis and beyond, including bereavement support” the report says, adding: “This service operates from our Little Common Lane building, with activities not regulated by the CQC taking place at our Ecclesall Road South site.
“Social prescribing activities for patients, families and carers provides an essential part of our service that focuses on the non-medical interventions that add quality and purpose to those accessing our care.”
New chief executive and chief nurse Jo Lenton says in the report: “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 strategy focuses on five key areas:
Improving our care;
Reaching further;
Sustaining growth;
Valuing our people;
Championing our cause;
Embracing new thinking.
The aim is to treat each person under the care of St Luke’s as an individual, tailoring its care and support services to meet their needs, wishes and choices. This will involve encouraging new ideas and solutions, including using AI, and increasing research.
As well as working hard to increase its income streams, the hospice will campaign for more statutory funding. St Luke’s wants to be seen as inclusive to all and as an employer that attracts the best staff, while creating “an empowered, positive and progressive workplace culture”.