Letchworth Hospice Faces Closure of Services Amidst Funding Shortfall

A hospice is closing a number of its services which are funded entirely through charitable income as it faces a projected funding shortfall of £1.1m from April. Garden House Hospice Care in Hertfordshire said it had taken the "extremely difficult decision" following a recent consultation, which meant it would stop running services including a dementia nurse, minibus transport and a cafe. The centre, in Letchworth Garden City, blamed rising costs, increasing demand for care and an "exceptionally challenging financial period". Chief executive officer Lisa Hunt said that "despite exhausting every option to avoid this, we have had no choice" in order to protect its core end-of-life care.