ROWCROFT Hospice needs to make £1 million in cuts over the next four months.

A shortfall in legacy income funding, increase in demand for its services and financial pressures on the NHS have forced the charity to scale back its services to protect its long-term future.

Jon Hill, acting chief executive, said: ‘We’ve experienced a significant reduction in our legacy income and have been unsuccessful in negotiating an increase in the recurring funding we receive from the NHS.

‘This, coupled with an increase in competition within the charity sector and a growing demand for the hospice’s services, has led to our current situation.

‘Unfortunately, we are not alone, hospices across the country have been reporting funding shortfalls and risks to services.’

It costs the south Devon hospice more than £8m each year to provide its services. Almost three-quarters is funded through donations and legacies. The NHS provides funding for the remaining 27 per cent of the costs incurred.

Read the full story in the Mid-Devon Advertiser dated July 22.