People working at the Marie Curie hospice in south Liverpool were left in tears at today’s decision to permanently close an inpatient unit
15:40, 02 Jul 2025Updated 15:40, 02 Jul 2025
A protest against the closure earlier this year(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Heartbroken nurses have told of the moment they were told that a vital Liverpool hospice ward would close permanently – with numerous staff now facing redundancy. Liverpool’s Marie Curie Hospice, based in Speke Road in Woolton, includes a 26-bed inpatient unit where people with terminal illnesses are supported and cared for in their final weeks and days as well as community services and day services.
This morning, staff from the hospice were called into a meeting with Marie Curie chief executive Matthew Reed and told that the hospice’s inpatient unit, which has been closed since last July, will shut down permanently, with the charity citing funding and staffing challenges. Devastated nurses have told the ECHO of their pain at the decision today.
The charity said its board of trustees took the ‘difficult decision’ to permanently close the unit after failing to reach a funding agreement with the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, which said it could not provide sustainable, long-term funding for the service.
But the decision has been met with anger and outrage by Marie Curie staff who said they felt they have been led to believe the ward would reopen over the past year. The unit is currently one of only two in the city of Liverpool providing this care and there are deep concerns around what the decision will mean for terminally ill people in Liverpool.
One nurse told the ECHO: “It is just devastating, it is heartbreaking. There were a lot of tears and a lot of upset in the room. I feel so sad for the patients because this is a special and important place for the community.
“When we got and see patients in their own homes it isn’t the same as in this unit, where we can provide special care to them and their families. A lot of the staff live locally and we are heartbroken to lose this for our community.”
Staff said many of them were told in the meeting that they were being put at risk of redundancies and that some of them will be able to re-interview for positions within a different hospice service. Many however – including domestic and catering staff – are set to lose their jobs.
One nurse said: “They offered us redundancy and said we might be able to interview for different jobs. But lots of affected staff will end up having to go. People are very upset and angry and quite shocked.”
Marie Curie confirmed to the ECHO that it is undertaking a 30-day consultation with affected staff. The charity said it has a number of ‘redeployment opportunities available for affected colleagues to express interest in.’
But for some staff that spoke to the ECHO, the manner in which this decision has been made has left them wanting to leave the organisation altogether. One nurse said: “I don’t want to work for Marie Curie anymore, I used to be proud to work for the charity but I am not anymore.”
Another nurse said: “We are all absolutely devastated and gutted. It feels sadly ironic that the news came exactly a year on from when the ward was first temporarily closed.
“We want to deliver inpatient care. That service cannot be delivered in the community. What we can do in people’s homes is nowhere near enough.”
Describing the decision as ‘soul-destroying’, they added: “This decision will mean there are more people dying in pain in Liverpool and that is horrible to think about. We won’t be able to give them the care that they deserve.”
Cllr Lucy Williams, who represents Garston, was formerly a palliative care nurse at the hospice and has been leading campaigning to keep the unit open.
She said: “The decision to move away from inpatient provision represents not only a strategic misstep but also a failure to understand the needs of the patient at the end of life.
“Marie Curie’s reputation has been built on compassion, care, and clinical excellence. It is devastating to see those values cast aside in favour of a model that leaves behind the most vulnerable. Patients and families facing the most difficult moments of their lives deserve more than this. As a community, we will continue to fight for the services that matter.”
On the subject of redundancies, a spokesperson for Marie Curie said: “We are undertaking consultation with Marie Curie colleagues affected. The process will start today, and last for 30 days. Our priority now is to support those colleagues and the people they care for.
Numerous protests have taken place against any plans to close the inpatient unit at Marie Curie Hospice in Woolton
“We have a number of redeployment opportunities available for affected colleagues to express interest in.”
And in response to the criticism of the decision made and how it has been handled, they added: “We do not underestimate the impact that this news will have on our colleagues, bereaved families, those facing the end of life, volunteers, and the local community in Liverpool. Our priority is to support those affected by providing emotional and practical support.”
A statement from Marie Curie chief executive Matthew Reed, released earlier today, said: “Marie Curie chief executive, Matthew Reed, said: “This has been an incredibly tough decision. We understand it will be difficult news for future patients, our staff and volunteers and the local community and we thank them for their support through a period of uncertainty.
“I would like to assure all those who need end of life or palliative care now that we continue to provide this through our Enhanced Hospice Care at Home service – which we seek to expand further – and our outpatient clinics through which we can support more people with the funds we have available.
“We will also continue to work closely with other hospices and hospitals in Liverpool when patients need inpatient care.
“Like our partners at the ICB, we believe everyone should have access to high quality palliative and end of life care and we remain totally committed to play a part in delivering this for the people of Liverpool, recognising that most end of life care is already provided outside hospice buildings.”
He added: “Both the ICB and Marie Curie face significant financial deficits; as a charity, we must ensure our finances are sustainable and our finite funds benefit as many people as possible.
“We remain fully committed to working with the ICB and our partners to find sustainable ways to provide for palliative and end of life care – including inpatient beds – in Liverpool.
“We need to reach a long-term solution with government and healthcare system partners as costs rise, and demand grows.
“Our priority right now is to support our staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to support patients and their loved ones. We also thank the people of Liverpool for their generous support.”
The charity said its Liverpool hospice remains open for all other services, including outpatient clinics, wellbeing services and will act as a base for its Enhanced Hospice Care at Home service which delivers expert specialist palliative and end of life care to people in their own homes.