A CHARITY care unit for seriously ill children has been temporarily closed due to staff shortages.

Butterwick Hospice’s service in Stockton has been suspended for four weeks while the organisation recruits and train new staff members.

The charity has suffered from a fall in donations since it emerged chief executive Graham Leggatt-Chidgey used a company credit card to spend more than £90,000 on a lavish lifestyle.

He was locked up for four years after admitting defrauding the charity, using the card to pay for hotels and restaurants, jewellery, watches and luxury items.

The children’s branch of the hospice has been closed until October 21.

It is understood the decision was made after a number of staff left over the summer leaving levels too low to offer “safe care”.

A Butterwick Hospice spokesman said: “Due to a staffing shortage created by a number of factors beyond our control, we have had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close our children’s unit from September 20.

“We will reopen our door to patients on October 21.

“This step is being taken to ensure that we provide a safe service to all our patients, which is our primary motive.”

The hospice offers a wide range of supportive day services for people suffering from life-limiting illnesses and offers care and support to families.

It is not clear what will happen to children currently in the care of the service.

The spokesman said: “All affected parents have been informed and we will work closely with them to ensure that the impact is minimised.

“During this period, we will be training new staff and current staff will have refresher training.

“We would like to thank all the staff and parents who are supporting us through this challenging time and will be welcoming our patients back on October 21.

“No other Butterwick Hospice care services will be affected.”