Hundreds protest amid fears of hospice closure

Hundreds of people have attended an emotional protest against the potential closure of a Marie Curie hospice.

The 26-bed inpatient unit at the site in Woolton, Liverpool, has been temporarily shut since July amid shortages in specialised nursing staff.

The charity has recently said there had been "no decision made about the long-term future of the inpatient unit as we continue to work through our options".

However, independent councillor Lucy Williams, who worked at the hospice as a palliative care nurse for two years, told BBC North West Tonight the charity's management said on Friday "they were considering closure" as one of their options.

At a protest outside the hospice on Saturday many people held up pictures of loved ones who had died, with some saying they were "angry" about the current state of uncertainty.

Ms Williams said: "Marie Curie are going to be met with the wrath of Liverpool. The whole community is going to get behind this."

On Friday, Maria Eagle, the Labour MP for Garston, said she had met Marie Curie chief Matthew Reed and the charity had told her it was "considering all options when it comes to the Woolton Hospice and that includes not reopening the inpatient services".

She said: "So I am now concerned about the future of that building and services."

One protester, the mother of a 24-year-old woman who died at the hospice, said: "For it not to be here, it's criminal. I don't know what people are going to do."

Another mother said: "We lost our son here and they were absolute angels.

"They really did look after us. Not just him but the whole family and that's what you need, you need support in times like that."

The daughter of a previous patient also said: "The way my mum was treated here, they were angels, and I want other people to be able to get the same services that she got."

Ms Williams said supporters of the hospice were willing to take their protest to the charity's London headquarters, adding: "If they won't come here to meet the community to see what it means to them, we'll take the community to London."

In a statement, the hospice said: "We understand the importance of access to good palliative and end-of-life care in local communities and the passion it inspires in people.

"During the pause in admissions to the inpatient unit, our charity has continued to support local people through our 'virtual ward' scheme, where specialist teams provide hospice care and support in their homes.

"All other services remained unaffected."

Ms Williams said: "We want the inpatient unit back open and we'll carry on until it is."

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