Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with Hospices Today
As CEO of St Margaret’s, I’m proud to add our voice – because hospice care is not a ‘nice to have’. It is a vital part of the health and care system, rooted in communities and built on compassion, dignity and specialist expertise.
It is difficult to imagine life without hospice care, yet without a long-term national funding solution, that future is possible. Right now, St Margaret’s is in sound financial health, supported by strong reserves and difficult decisions made over previous years. But we know how quickly circumstances can change, and many hospices are already being forced to make choices none of us want to make.
Like every organisation, we feel the impact of decisions and events beyond our control. The increase in National Insurance has added around £300,000 to our payroll. Global instability continues to drive up fuel and operating costs for our community teams and retail drivers. At the same time, the cost of living puts additional pressure on the people we care for and the families supporting them.
We are grateful for the support we receive from our local NHS, but it covers only around 20% of our costs. The rest is funded by our community: through shopping in and donating to our shops, taking part in events, playing our lottery, fundraising, leaving gifts in wills, and making donations.
Dear Prime Minister…
That is why today matters. Hospice leaders are travelling to Downing Street to ask the Prime Minister to listen and to commit to a fairer, sustainable funding model that gives every hospice the stability to plan, recruit, innovate and deliver the best possible care. This is not about special treatment; it is about recognising hospice care as essential, and funding it accordingly.
Hospice UK’s research, informed by its Financial Benchmarking Survey, warns that
75% are running a deficit and nearly six in ten have either already made, or are considering, cuts to frontline services. The situation is not sustainable, and time is running out.”
The key ask of the government is to take urgent action through Hospice UK’s four-point plan, which includes fully funding the specialist palliative care provided by hospices so we can continue delivering the vital care that patients and families rely on.
At St Margaret’s, we are not planning to reduce services. However, we are facing a challenging year and expect to spend more than we raise. We can accommodate a modest deficit for a limited time, but not indefinitely. That is why we must keep growing income, working differently and continuing to innovate as set out in our Time to Care – now and always strategy. It explains how we will challenge misconceptions and remain relevant; enhance care and rethink how and when patients access our services; and steward resources so our teams have the tools, training and confidence to deliver outstanding care.
Adding our local voice to this national crisis is simply the right thing to do. The strength of the hospice sector lies in our local impact, backed by a collective voice. Hospices are beacons of hope and part of the bedrock of our communities. Without them, families would lose vital support, and the NHS would face even greater pressure on an already stretched system.
More to hospices than you might think
Hospices contribute far beyond clinical care. Our shops are neighbourhood hubs that create connection, companionship and opportunity. We support the local economy and help keep high streets thriving. Our events and challenges bring people together and provide space to remember and celebrate loved ones. Our gardens and grounds offer respite, as well as help support natural habitats and biodiversity.
Our volunteering programmes help young people build skills and experience to support future employment. Partnerships with local housing organisations help people establish a home for the first time. Our family support programme works with children and teenagers to understand death and grief, helping them build resilience and express their feelings in healthy, constructive ways.
“You matter because you are you”
The NHS is there for us throughout our lives, and in an emergency our hospitals provide outstanding care. But when someone is dying with a chronic illness, frailty or old age, families can find themselves navigating complex needs at home – often over weeks and months. That is where hospices step in: supporting people to live as well as possible, right to the end, and supporting those who love them.
We do this well, but we are constrained by the resources available to us and the uncertainty created by the current funding model. We only get one chance to get end of life care right. If funding cannot be guaranteed, choice, access and quality will ultimately suffer. I do not want to see that happen, and I will do everything in my power to advocate for St Margaret’s, for neighbouring hospices and for the sector nationally. Yes, we must adapt and modernise, but we must also hold onto the principles that make hospice care what it is: person-centred, holistic support for physical, emotional and spiritual needs, delivered with dignity and compassion, and continuing into bereavement.
You matter because you are you. You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can to help you not only to die peacefully, but also to live until you die.”Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement
As St Margaret’s we stand by this and we stand shoulder to shoulder with hospices across the UK today and always.
Joanna Hall
Chief Executive Officer, St Margaret’s Hospice Care