Financial Motives

Publicly the board of Marie Curie have given unconvincing reasons for closing Harestone, so a financial motive must be a possibility, despite some contradictory statements:

An article on the This Is Croydon Today website says that Rachael McCormack, a public relations manager for Marie Curie, denied the move was any sort of cost-cutting venture. She said:
"Our aim is to double the number of Marie Curie nurses working in the local community. This consultation is about delivering the best possible package of care that meets the needs of local people with a terminal illness."

If it’s not about saving money then what package could possibly be better than the one already offered by Harestone, with all the ward nurses now available to work in the community as planned?

After meetings with the charity Peter Ainsworth MP points out in this press release that
“[Marie Curie] claim the existing Caterham day care and specialist services do not offer value for money” which suggests money is a consideration, despite the difficulty in measuring the relative value of different services, and in another press release that
“The charity insists that their decision has nothing to do with its financial circumstances. They say that they are financially in a good position.  

Caterham hospice is unique in the range, depth and quality of services it offers. But it is also expensive. The Harestone building itself is a large drain on resources. Detailed plans to move out of Harestone and build a new ward and day care centre were drawn up a few years ago but were cancelled by the board at the last minute.  Instead, money was spent on hiring beds at the North Downs Hospital.

When money is in short supply the specialist services may be a luxury that Marie Curie Cancer Care feel they simply cannot afford. If that is the real reason the board should be open about it and allow a debate, instead of putting out misleading statements.
And if that is not the reason, what is?

If the board fear losing public sympathy by closing the hospice on purely financial grounds they need to be aware that the way they are handling the closure now is having an even worse effect, with some supporters already withholding or redirecting their donations.

The current discussions with staff and the PCTs need to be meaningful attempts to find a way forward, rather than just ways to plug the void left when Harestone finally closes. Otherwise the charity in Surrey may never recover from the tremendous feeling of betrayal felt by many people connected with Harestone.