Due to a decline in NHS funding, “we are going to have to cut services in the next 18 months,” Nigel Hartley, chief executive of Mountbatten, has warned.

The charity, which runs hospices on the Isle of Wight and in Southampton and which is the largest provider of hospice care in Hampshire, will launch a public consultation this autumn.

Mountbatten, which also provides psychology and bereavement counselling and 24/7 specialist palliative care at home, both on the Island and across large parts of Hampshire, will ask residents of the two counties what services are most important to them and talk through the implications, should any need to stop.

Mountbatten’s AGM, was held on Thursday, July 25.

Rising need

Attendees heard the number of people being given specialist palliative care by Mountbatten has risen by 250 per cent on the Isle of Wight in five years and, over the same period, by 90 per cent across Hampshire.

Two thirds of Mountbatten’s funding comes from the community, which Nigel said is in a good place.

A third comes via the NHS organisation responsible for planning health services – the Integrated Care Board for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (ICB).

While Mountbatten’s costs have gone up by eight to ten per cent in the last year, the NHS has uplifted its contribution by just 0.6 per cent.

Too focussed on saving money?

Concerned the ICB has lost sight of the people who desperately need care, Nigel questioned if it has become too focussed on saving money.

He warned of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if the increase in need for Mountbatten’s expert care and kindness is not addressed, and matched by a financial commitment from the NHS.

High quality care

Thanking Mountbatten’s fundraisers and supporters, Nigel said he is proud of its staff and volunteers, who are delivering high quality care during unprecedented times.

“They are working through times I’ve never seen to be so challenging, during the almost 40 years I have worked in hospice care,” he said.

Mountbatten’s Chair of Trustees, Sir Ian Cheshire, added: “We will fight for NHS funding. We are not going to accept this. We are not going to sit back and wait for it.”

Nigel called on the new government to make ‘putting the health and social care system back together’ its absolute imperative.

He warned ‘difficult decisions will be made’ in the coming months.

New trustees

Above, Dr Tim Peachey and Vicky Hastings and Charlie Panayi and Kate Collins DL, below, are new trustees

New trustees were welcomed to the charity’s board, on Thursday, July 25.

They are: property expert Charlie Panayi; Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, Kate Collins, who brings huge experience, gained from a range of organisations and corporations; Vicky Hastings, who has over 35 years of experience in investment management and has held several board roles, including at Moorfields; and Dr Tim Peachey, who is deputy chair of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust and has led hospital trusts in greater London.

Mountbatten was also delighted to welcome diabetes specialist, Dr John Sichel and PR and communications specialist, Alastair Gornall to its board.

Nigel urged the new trustees to ‘think through their responsibilities’ when it comes to supporting the charity, telling them ‘it is critical you do so’. He thanked those leaving the board for their service.

There was praise too for Mountbatten’s ‘extraordinary’ fundraising team. Its members are working tirelessly to raise much-needed funds to fill the gap, including through Walk the Wight 2024, which Nigel described as ’a phenomenon’.

The AGM heard testimonials from two people whose loved-ones were cared for by Mountbatten. ‘Reliability’, middle of the night visits, ‘supportive and friendly staff’ and ‘incredible’ expertise were all praised.