INPATIENT beds at Poole’s Lewis Manning Hospice are set to close next month due to funding issues.

Twenty jobs have been placed at risk of redundancy and four people currently staying in the unit will have to move if the proposal goes ahead.

The inpatient unit opened two years ago but chairman Jeremy Allin said funding it has proved difficult.

Now a worried family member of a patient has spoken out about the closure.

The woman, who does not wish to be named, said: “My mum has been there for a few weeks and now we have to transfer her which is obviously very upsetting.

“I have to decide when to tell my mum as this is going to really devastate her. Lewis-Manning is an amazing place – the support and care my mum has received has been amazing. She’s been really happy there and has a bedroom looking out over the water, which is peaceful for her.

“It’s very shocking it is going to close because there’s limited hospice care in the area. We’ve considered ourselves lucky to have this care for my mum.”

Chairman Jeremy Allin told the Daily Echo: “With regret the Board of Trustees at Lewis-Manning Hospice is proposing to close one of our local services, our inpatient beds.

“This proposal has been put forward to staff for consultation and the Board’s decision to move forward in this way has not been taken lightly.”

The hospice’s new Chief Executive, Clare Gallie, said it receives around 20 per cent of the money it needs from the NHS compared with almost full funding for two other local hospices, Forest Holme in Poole and the Macmillan Unit in Christchurch.

A recent meeting saw representatives of all three hospices get together to discuss the best way forward for the future of services in the east Dorset area.

Lewis Manning has provided inpatient care for 120 people in the last two years, alongside its day care and clinics.

Mr Allin added: “We will continue our dialogue with other potential partners in our area regarding future end of life care services, potential use of our beds and focus our work on supporting local people across the east of our county by developing our invaluable Day care provision and high demand clinics.”

The clinics offered at the hospice and in the community include better breathing, lymphoedema, art and wellbeing and practical support groups, delivering more than 5,000 sessions for people with life limiting illness each year.

“By taking these measures now, we are giving the organisation time to revitalise and plan for the future” added Mr Allin.

He thanked the commitment and hard work of staff and volunteers at the charity.

“With the continued and generous support of our local community Lewis-Manning Hospice will continue to deliver vital care for the people of east Dorset” he said.