St Wilfrid’s Hospice is looking to axe its care service that provides visits to patients at home, amid rising costs and funding concerns.

The proposal affecting the 31 staffed team is part of a three-year plan “to get finances back on track” and following a review of its services, said the charity.

In a statement the Eastbourne charity’s chief executive Colin Twomey said: “Our costs continue to increase whilst our funding is staying broadly the same.

“This simply isn’t sustainable. To protect our future and make sure we are here for generations to come, we’re making some difficult but necessary changes.”

Impacted staff are to be consulted, with Twomey saying “we know this proposal is having an emotional impact on our colleagues, and we are committed to a fair consultation process for them”.

The proposal to close the service comes a year after the charity reduced its workforce by 450 hours across the organisation.

“Since then, there has been an extensive programme of work to reduce costs and secure new income,” said the charity.

“This has included changes to retail operations, cost savings across the organisation through streamlining and efficiencies, partnerships with other local hospices, and exploration of new income sources.

According to the charities register St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne spent £11.26m in the financial year ending March 2025, however its income was only £8.45m over this period.

This is the second year in a row where its spending has exceeded its income. In the year to March 2024, it spent £10.65m and its income was £8.55m.

Twomey added: “It is important that, as a hospice, we live within our means and focus on the specialist care that other services cannot provide for local people.

“I cannot emphasise enough that this proposal is not a reflection on the Care@Home team members or service; we know that they do a brilliant job and are highly valued by patients. But we can’t afford to provide this type of care.”

Lois Howell, chief executive of a nearby and separate charity of the same name, St Wilfrid’s Hospice Chichester, said that “funding pressures are affecting a large number of charitable hospices” and “our thoughts are with the St Wilfrid’s Eastbourne team as they navigate this particularly difficult time”.

She added: “We know that some of our supporters, patients and the wider public sometimes confuse us with St Wilfrid’s Eastbourne as we share the same name.

“I would like to assure our local community, which includes Chichester, Bognor and the surrounding area, that this sad news does not affect our care services.

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