Exclusive:Sue Ryder Wheatfields Headingley: Shock claims over sudden closure of Leeds hospice inpatient unit
End-of-life patients at a hospice in Leeds were suddenly moved from the building with almost no advance warning for relatives or staff, the Yorkshire Evening Post can reveal.
Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice in Headingley temporarily closed its inpatient unit in August last year, with the charity telling the YEP at the time that “unforeseen staff shortages” had forced the move.
But a group of whistleblowers claimed ward teams were blindsided by the closure that came “out of the blue”, leaving them scrambling to find suitable beds for vulnerable end-of-life patients elsewhere.
In a statement issued, Sue Ryder reiterated that the temporary closure was necessary because teams were “unable to meet safe staffing levels” and had “no other option”.
“We stand by our decision to have temporarily closed the inpatient unit last August and we would not hesitate to do the same again if our staffing levels were in question as the safety of our patients remains paramount.”
According to whistleblowers, a number of relatives arrived at the hospice unaware of the impending closure and became distressed to find their loved ones being prepared for transfer.
They described angry and upset family members confronting staff on the ward as ambulances pulled up outside, demanding to know why frail and dying patients were being moved.
In response, Sue Ryder acknowledged that some relatives were informed of the decision after ambulances had arrived, but said that teams were acting with the “best of intent” and apologised to families at the time.
A whistle blower said: “It was one big, massive rush. We had to work together to look for places for the patients to go to - because there were no definite places at other hospices.”
Another said: “If the closure was because of a gas leak or a fire, we’d understand. But it wasn’t. We were asking why this was happening to patients in such vulnerable conditions at the end of their lives.”
The inpatient unit remained closed for more than two months before reopening on November 11 last year.
A spokesperson for the charity described the “difficult decision” to temporarily close the inpatient unit over what it maintained was “unforeseen staff shortages”.
Their statement continued: “All healthcare settings must adhere to strict safe staffing levels that dictate how many staff, at different levels of seniority, are needed on shift. Those levels are critical to patient safety and on August 16, 2024, we were unable to meet safe staffing levels when planning for the days ahead. This was due to a combination of staff issues including sickness, vacancies and some staff being under investigation in relation to their behaviours and working practices.”
The statement said the decision was “not taken lightly” as the charity was aware of the impact on patients, but was left with “no other option”.
“It was important to move quickly to find alternative healthcare settings for our patients where safe staffing levels could be guaranteed and as such, colleagues at the hospice were informed immediately,” the statement continued. “The team responded swiftly and professionally, contacting the ambulance service to log a transport request for our patients.
“Understandably the ambulance service has unpredictable response times, however on this occasion the ambulance was able to attend swiftly, which meant that they arrived before we had been able to inform all of the patients’ families. This was not ideal, but our teams were acting with the best of intent and we explained the situation and apologised to the families at the time.”
It acknowledged that the closure of the inpatient unit occurred before planned repair work on the hospice roof, giving a chance to review operations during the closure and resulting in “a quality improvement plan being rolled out” across the service, which led to the “strengthening of some internal processes as well as additional investigations into some employees”.
The statement said: “We stand by our decision to have temporarily closed the inpatient unit last August and we would not hesitate to do the same again if our staffing levels were in question as the safety of our patients remains paramount.
“The formal investigations into staff members over the last 12 months have led to staff leaving the organisation, resulting in ongoing challenges to our staffing levels. We will not however shy away from expecting the highest standards of conduct from our staff at all times, even if that does create staffing gaps.
“Sue Ryder is committed to maintaining an open and transparent working environment where everyone feels safe and supported in speaking up. There are internal channels available for everyone to raise or record concerns or incidents including an anonymous channel, if that is preferred.”