Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice is to close its Liverpool site amid challenges around funding and planning issues.

The charity, which also runs hospices for children in Middlesbrough and Coventry, said it will close its Liverpool site at the end of the year.

It had hoped to build a new hospice near to its current location in Liverpool.

“However, the time taken to get planning permission has left insufficient time to construct the building,” explained the charity.

“In addition, a significant rise in the projected costs and the challenge of raising funding in the current economic climate means there are insufficient funds available.”

As it only has nine months lease remaining on its current site “there is insufficient time and money to relocate to a new home elsewhere”.

“It is therefore with great sadness that Zoe’s Place trustees have to announce that their Liverpool hospice will close at the end of 2024,” added the charity.

Families that have used the charity’s Liverpool hospice have reacted to the news on social media, including Joanne Ellis, who said “Zoe’s place will always be close to my heart”.

The closure of Zoe’s Place’s hospice in Liverpool comes amid funding pressures across the palliative care charity sector.

In July one in five members of Hospice UK said their charities have been forced to make cuts to services or are planning to do so over the last year.

“Too many hospices are in crisis,” said Hospice UK chief executive Toby Porter at the time.

“The small and wildly variable amount of state funding they receive has failed to keep pace with rising costs.

“Many hospices are therefore running deficits which can only mean one thing – more cuts to essential care services, or even service closures."

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