"People often think we are only there for those final moments, but the earlier people access hospice the better" says Waipuna Hospice CEO Richard Thurlow.

"Whether that's months or even years, getting the benefits of the wrap-around physical, social, spiritual and emotional support means patients get to live fully until they die."

The trouble is, not everyone knows this.

Hospice NZ chief executive Wayne Naylor (pictured) highlights the urgency of the situation: "A third of the people who die in New Zealand receive hospice care but many miss out.

"Last year around 90 per cent of people with a foreseeable death - about 34,000 - could have benefitted from palliative care, but only 10,800 of them took advantage of the services and support that hospice provides."

Transformative care

In an effort to change public perception, Naylor and Thurlow are launching a campaign featuring real-life stories of patients and their families.

Through these patients' testimonies, they will showcase hospice care and the transformative effect it has.

The patients' stories consider the hospice's range of support. Besides the obvious medical support, the patients will reflect on the emotional comfort and invaluable guidance the hospice offers.

The services hospices offer include respite care, practical support, loan equipment, chaplaincy services and spiritual support, counselling, child and adolescent support, social work, biography services, caregiver support, occupational therapy, education, books and resources, and therapeutic massage.

Support is there for family and friends both before and after a loved one dies.

Who pays

Right now, hospice funding is split between the Government and community donations.

Not that patients themselves pay.

"While our service is provided at no cost for those who need it, it costs a lot to deliver" Thurlow says.

The rising cost of living affects hospices as much as anyone else.

Wellington's Mary Potter Hospice says it's feeling the pressure.

"In the last 12 months, our expenses have increased by ten percent with some critical medical supplies increasing by over 20 percent.

"We must rely on fundraising and the generosity of our community to ensure we can continue delivering our vital care.

"It's that generosity that keeps us going, making sure everyone gets the care and respect they deserve."

RNZ says the "government funds 45 to 50 percent of hospices' work at $92 million a year [and] the rest, $94 million, is collected from donors, bequests and op shops.

"In fact the vast majority of it comes from those shops, run by volunteers" RNZ reports.

That's a lot of money for a community to find.

That need will see hospices doing a street collection this week.

The help is gratefully accepted.

It means Mary Potter Hospice can continue to care for 840 husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, whanau, partners, friends, neighbours and colleagues in Wellington, Porirua and Kapiti.

Source

• Mary Potter Hospice
• SunLive
• RNZ

Now some of the country's biggest hospices are warning they will have to cut some services, if they do not get an urgent cash injection from the government.

Last week, Hospice New Zealand chief executive Wayne Naylor met with Associate Minister of Health Barbara Edmonds - the first minister ever with responsibility for palliative care.

With all the upheaval in the health sector, Naylor feared there was a danger that hospices could be overlooked. Read more

So, it was a huge disappointment when we learned that, despite billions of dollars being allocated to health, Budget 2022 offered no extra support for the 32 hospice services that offer palliative care to nearly 20,000 patients and their whanau every year.

The lack of government recognition given to this vital service - one that we all expect for our loved ones in their time of need - means that hospices must continue to rely on revenue from their op shops and fundraising events in order to continue to provide free palliative care in their communities.

All hospice services are completely free of charge to everyone who needs them.

Yet of course, this essential and valued service is not really free.

Hospice services cost a lot to provide.

Last year, it cost close to $176 million. While the Government provided $88m, hospices had to raise over $87m to bridge the gap.

In today's climate of high inflation and Covid, $87m is a near-impossible amount to be expected to raise from selling second-hand jumpers and running charity events.

When people and businesses are struggling, and the hospice retail stores lose out on their revenue because of economic conditions and lockdowns, it becomes starkly clear that our hospices are in a desperately precarious financial situation.

Many people miss out on specialist palliative care from hospices due to factors largely beyond their control: their diagnosis, their ethnicity, their age, and where they live.

Hospices need better funding so that they can reach out to rural and remote areas, and develop services that meet the needs of Maori and other ethnic groups, and those with dementia and other chronic health conditions.

Government funding through district health boards (DHBs) is highly variable, with some hospices only funded to around 45% of their operating costs, and others nearly 70% funded.

Many communities are not in a position to provide the additional millions required to keep services free, never mind expanding hospice care and extending it to those missing out because of where they live or their diagnosis.

This is a classic case of post-code lottery that the Government says it wants to remove with its health reforms. Continue reading

• Wayne Naylor is Hospice New Zealand's acting chief executive.