Charity says public bodies owe it 7m

Palliative care charity Sue Ryder Care claims it faced a 7m shortfall last year in funding for services it provided for councils and primary care trusts.

Sue Ryder said the hole had to be filled by voluntary donations, depleting resources for developing additional provision, such as bereavement services.

Health care director Stephen Collinson called on the government to press commissioners to ensure full cost recovery for charities.

Meanwhile, the Independent Care Group, which represents providers in North Yorkshire and York, has launched a petition against underfunding in response to fee increases offered by North Yorkshire (2.9 per cent) and York (2.3 per cent plus 100,000 across providers) councils.

And the English Community Care Association is holding an online poll on fee increases. As Community Care went to press, 22 of 27 respondents said they had received rises of
2 per cent or less.