BARNSLEY hospice has turned the corner after months of financial strife, says its acting chief executive Graham Archer.
The hospice had to make 15 redundancies - six were voluntary - in order to bring its budget back into line. Another two members of staff took early retirement.
They were senior managers, admin staff, receptionists, and hospice shop staff. Mr Archer says patient care will not be affected by the changes.
He added: “Th problem with the hospice was that its running costs exceeded its income and it was clear that this could not be sustained. The board of trustees had no choice but to take drastic action.”
Although the immediate budget problems have been solved the hospice still needs help from the public in order to maintain high standards and continue its plans for the future.
It costs about £1.6m to run the hospice, the Primary Care Trust pays half and the rest has to come from fund-raising and income from hospice shops and lottery tickets.
