Every year, hospices care for 300,000 people and support 60,000 family members, carers and friends, free of charge across the country.
A campaign has highlighted the difficulties faced by six hospices across Sussex as they find it increasingly difficult to fund care, as government support only goes a third of the way to ensuring patients get the help they deserve.
A TV campaign recently aired and featured stories from hospices and highlighted the breadth of care and how the sector supports both the patient and their loved ones, in hospices and in the community.
143 hospices across England, Wales and Scotland have signed up to the campaign and it has been implemented by Hospice UK.
Six Sussex-based hospices, St Catherine’s Hospice, St Wilfrid’s Hospice, St Barnabas House, children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House, Martlets and St Michael’s Hospice joined together for the “This is Hospice Care” national collaboration between 143 hospices across England, Scotland and Wales, brought together by Hospice UK.
They all claim they are facing ‘unprecedented financial challenges’.
The campaign aimed to raise awareness of hospice services, shift public perceptions of hospice care and educate people about the importance of gifts in Wills in providing sustainable income for hospice charities.
For St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne, gifts in wills pay for the care of one in three patients.
CEO Colin Twomey said: “Gifts in wills are crucial to our survival and growth. Our care is free at the point of use. But, while we receive some government funding, more than 70% of the money we need to provide this vital care each year comes from generous donors.
“Hospice care is everything you’d expect, and everything you wouldn’t. At St Wilfrid’s we enable people across Eastbourne, Seaford, Hailsham, Uckfield, Heathfield (and all points between) to live well at the end of life.
“This might mean offering expert medical and nursing care to ease a person’s pain and symptoms at home, in local care homes, or at the hospice. It might also mean supporting their spiritual needs, providing them with the tools they need to stay mobile, or helping them with the practicalities of living with an illness. And it means looking after their families and carers, before and after someone dies.
“All of these services are vital, and it would be devastating to have to reduce our care to patients. Which is why we hope local people will be inspired by the campaign to leave a gift in their will to their local hospice and make sure we can be here for many years to come.”
Karen Clarke, CEO of St Michael’s Hospice said, “We were thrilled to be part of this important campaign that highlights the critical work hospices do and the lasting impact that gifts in Wills can have.”
Jo Brand, who’s brother was supported by the Hospice said; “My lovely brother Bill died at St Michael’s Hospice in 2021, and it proved to be a welcome sanctuary for us as a family at the end of his life.
“I’m so grateful for the kindness and care shown to us by the hospice staff and that’s why I’m delighted to be supporting such an important cause. Legacy gifts, no matter how small, make a huge difference — so I’d encourage you all to consider supporting your local hospice.”
