Hospice may refer homecare funding cuts to ombudsman

A HOSPICE that had funding for a homecare service for patients cut last year has threatened to refer the Department of Health to the Ombudsman if the money is not restored.

The Northwest Hospice in Sligo said the fact that several health boards returned budget surpluses in 2003 proved that the funding cut was unnecessary.

Spokesman Eugene McGloin said the hospice "seriously considered abandoning" an expansion to the service because of financial pressures.

Last March, the hospice increased its homecare team, providing a service for seven days a week instead of five. Three new nurses were added to the team, at a cost of €186,000. The hospice says the department, through the local health board, had agreed in 2002 to cover the provision of 2.5 clinical nurse specialists or approximately €155,000 of the cost.

But just days after the expanded service was launched in March, the grant was capped at €85,000 leaving the hospice facing a €70,000 shortfall.

"We seriously considered abandoning the service enhancement within weeks of its launch," said Mr McGloin yesterday.

The hospice eventually made up the shortfall through its own fundraising and, as a result, the service was able to make 2,500 home visits last year.

But staff are angry that the funding was cut in a year when four of the country's 10 health boards recorded surpluses totalling approximately €38 million.

The North Western Health Board, which encompasses Sligo, is expected to record a surplus of €1.5m to €2m once accounts are finalised.

The hospice says there was no need for its grant to be capped.

"This is all due to the directive arising from Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy's 2002 Budget, which ordered that State funding going forward into 2003 should be at the 'Existing Level of Service (ELS)'," said Mr McGloin.

"We believe the ELS mechanism should not have been invoked in our case, and we may refer the item to the Ombudsman."

Mr McGloin said this option would be used only as "a last resort" if the hospice did not feel it was getting a fair hearing from the Department of Health.

The department, however, indicated that it was a matter for the health board.

"It is a matter for each board to develop its service plan, having regard to government policy, the health strategy objectives, and any specific issues provided for within the letter of determination issued by the minister," a spokesman said.

But the hospice is arguing that the pressure for health board cuts to be introduced came directly from the department.

A spokesman for the Ombudsman said it was not certain that a complaint relating to funding would be investigated.

"Funding issues are difficult ones to deal with," he said. "They're kind of policy matters the department would make decisions on that.

"The department giving money to one thing rather than another is not a matter that the Ombudsman would take up directly, unless there was an undertaking that a certain amount of funding would be provided and then wasn't, with no reason given for that."