Dame Joan Ruddock 
Former MP for Lewisham Deptford
  • Home
  • Latest News
    • Joan in Parliament
    • Early Day Motions
  • About Joan
  • Constituency
    • Local Groups & Organisations
    • Constituency Campaigns
    • Map of the Constituency
    • Constituency Facts & Figures
  • Gallery
  • Contact & Surgeries
    • When to Contact Your MP
    • Tours of Parliament
    • Watch a Debate/PMQs
  • News Archive
  • FAQs
    • Useful Links

Supporting a Fair VAT Deal for Hospices

13/3/2012

 
Picture
Today I showed my support for local hospices by attending a parliamentary briefing on VAT hosted by Sue Ryder, Help the Hospices and the National Council for Palliative Care.

The NHS is able to recover VAT on some non-business supplies (catering, laundry, staff training, vehicle and maintenance costs) which hospices cannot.  This means that when an NHS hospice is transferred to a charitable provider a ‘VAT gap’ is left; this gap must be filled by either charitable funds or funds from the PCT.  


Hospice providers have long campaigned on the issue of VAT that they cannot recover.  They are calling on the Government to take a first step in levelling the playing field between the NHS and charities by ensuring that when a service is transferred to a charitable trust in the future, they are afforded the same recovery rights as the NHS.

One of Sue Ryder’s hospices incurs £44,000 of VAT per year on non-business supplies.  If this service was managed by the NHS it would be able to recover 57% of the figure, enabling the hospice to provide 1500 more bereavement sessions for families or 2500 additional hours of carer support.

Hospices provide a vital service in supporting people affected by terminal illness and their families.  Not being able to recover VAT is a significant burden which acts as a barrier to the expansion and development of this service provision. 

Local people give generously to support the wonderful work hospices do in their communities.  When they donate these funds, they expect them to go to frontline care delivery and not to meet additional VAT costs.

By not enabling hospices to recover VAT on certain non-business supplies, the Government is denying vital extra resources to those in need.  I am therefore calling on the Government to level the playing field by affording hospices the same recovery rights as the NHS.    


Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Petition by iPetitions
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011


    Categories

    All
    Afghanistan
    Animal Welfare
    Arms
    Banks
    Benefits
    Betting Shops
    Boundary Changes
    Budget
    Charity
    Children & Young People
    Children & Young People
    Community Groups
    Convoys Wharf
    Crime
    Culture
    Cuts
    Daylight Savings Bill
    Democracy
    Deptford Station
    Economy
    Education
    Environment
    Equality
    Fire Station Closures
    Health
    High Streets
    Housing
    In Parliament
    International Development
    Labour Party
    Lewisham Deptford
    Lewisham Hospital
    Libraries
    Loan Sharks
    Local Businesses
    Music
    Olympics
    Palestine
    Policing
    Riots
    Surrey Canal Road Station
    Thames Tunnel
    Tidemill
    Transport
    Unemployment
    Warm Front
    Women

    RSS Feed

This website was established while I was the Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford. 

All parliamentary copyright images reproduced with the permission of Parliament.