This conversation is long overdue (English charities ‘near insolvency’ after subsidising public sector contracts, 13 November). We are commissioned by local NHS bodies to provide end-of-life care. We’re responsible for supporting more than 50,000 dying people a year, for ensuring that they get a good death, with their pain managed, and that the people around them are looked after. The money we receive for this care covers roughly half our costs and the rest comes from the generosity of the public.
We are grateful to donors, but should such an essential part of healthcare be reliant on sponsored marathon runners, high street collections and bake sales? No. It isn’t secure. It isn’t sustainable.
Amit Dixit
Director of business development, Marie Curie
• As a homelessness charity that supports 10,000 people in London who are homeless, or are at risk of it, the findings from the NCVO survey resonate strongly with us. With local authorities’ finances struggling since the cuts started in 2010, we have been forced to subsidise our essential services for some of London’s most vulnerable residents for too long.
We continue to deliver outstanding critical services that make a real difference to the people we support and the wider community. But our pockets aren’t deep enough to do this without our staff paying the price. They deserve to be fairly paid for their expertise, not bear the brunt of the cuts, and face similar financial challenges to the Londoners we support.
Liz Rutherfoord
Chief executive, Single Homeless Project
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