In the wake of MPs and hospice bosses meeting in Parliament to discuss underfunding of the sector, one has praised them for their support.

On Wednesday (February 8), Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington and co-chair of APPG on hospice and end-of-life care, penned a letter alongside Tees Valley MPs calling for greater support for the region's hospices.

This came after they met with hospice chiefs in Parliament to discuss the lack of funding made available to the sector.

Since then, David Smith, chief executive of Teesside Hospice & St Teresa’s Hospice, has praised the MPs for their "tremendous and incredibly encouraging" support, while warning the current situation surrounding hospices is unsustainable.

Read more: Darlington and Middlesbrough MPs call for greater hospice funding

He said: "The support has been tremendous and incredibly encouraging. It’s often worrying, calling on politicians for help, especially when party politics can be so polarising.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have a cause that all parties support and the immediate and steadfast support for all of the Tees Valley MPs have given us a significant boost.

"It feels like we’re no longer alone and that where we might before have not been listened to, the MPs will make sure our voice – which is really the voice of our communities – is heard.

"Raising funds is a challenge for many charities right now but hospices are rare in that they are delivering essential healthcare that nobody else is doing.

"Whilst sitting outside of the NHS, we still have to stay competitive to attract and retain good clinical staff and over the overs, as costs have risen, the ability of our communities to support us has become increasingly difficult. This isn’t the fault of our supporters."

Read more: Ryanair offer 'low-fare' trips from Teesside in new summer schedule

Mr Smith also called on the NHS in Tees Valley to guidance issued by NHS England on fully funding core and specialist-level palliative and end-of-life care.

He said if his hospices received this support, their future would be secured and would be able to concentrate on delivering great care rather than worrying about their future.

He also noted the charity has received "incredibly generous" support from its donors, and their position was not due to a lack of donations.

"This isn’t the fault of our supporters. They are incredibly generous" he added.

"It's also not just a local issue as hospices across the country are in a similar position which is the reason NHS England produced new guidance in 2020 clearly showing which parts of palliative and end of life care should be NHS funded (core and specialist) and charity funded (enhanced services).

"With ongoing and growing structural deficits charitable hospices will only be able to continue running until their reserves run out.

"Some have more reserves than others but that shouldn’t be a factor in the NHS locally deciding whether or not to follow national NHS guidance."

The Northern Echo:

Meanwhile, a letter from North East MPs headed by Darlington MP Peter Gibson, called NHS chiefs to provide needed funding for palliative care in the region. 

It read: "Last week, all members of Parliament from the Tees Valley and met with the chief executives of our four hospices, namely: Teesside, Butterwick, Alice House and St Teresa's, in Parliament to discuss the shortfall in commissioning for palliative care, the funding challenges for our hospices, and the opportunity to greater utilise these services you have open to you.

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"We are collectively concerned that attempts by the Hospice sector in our region to secure specific commissioning from the ICB have failed to materialise, missing opportunities to prioritise the service to our communities as required under the Health and Social Care Act.

"At a time of immense pressure on our NHS system, it appears to us that the lack commissioning in this area is a wasted opportunity to alleviate pressure, which if properly commissioned would save money, resources and provide better services to our communities."

The letter was signed by Darlington MP Peter Gibson, Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald, Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham, Redcar MP Jacob Young, Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer, Stockton South MP Matt Vickers, Sedgefield MP Paul Howell, and Levelling Up Secretary and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP, Simon Clarke.