Why You Should Mark Hospice Care Week in Your Calendar

Thinking about death can be an uncomfortable experience, but for over 300,000 people who use the services of a hospice each year, it’s simply a fact of daily life.

Hospices are unique. The care they deliver is centred around maximising quality of life rather than prolonging it so that residents can enjoy an environment of comfort as they approach the end of their life.

This Hospice Care Week – from 7-13 October – charity Hospice UK hopes to shed light on the vital work hospices do amid increasingly challenging circumstances.

Hospices: homes, not hospitals

Think of a typical healthcare setting; what comes to mind will probably be clinical, white and disinfectant-scented.

That’s not what you’ll find in a hospice. For hospices, creating an environment that feels like home for its residents is of paramount importance. That’s why they feature soft furnishings, living rooms, kitchens, and gardens, and residents’ loved ones can come and visit whenever they’d like.²

For its residents, hospices are homes, not hospitals.

Residents are still supported with their healthcare requirements. Palliative care – healthcare for those with serious and terminal conditions - is just one aspect of support a hospice resident will receive. They’ll also receive ‘medical, emotional, social, practical, psychological and spiritual’ support’, too.³

No choice but to rely on charity

There’s no question that hospices provide vital care that puts residents’ dignity and respect at its core, even while facing serious operational challenges – namely, the fact that they’re seriously underfunded.

As of this year, UK hospices face a funding deficit of £77m in what The Guardian is calling ‘the worst funding crisis in two decades.’ As a result, a fifth of hospices have been forced to cut their services, resulting in staff redundancies, fewer inpatient beds, restricted community services, and fewer visits to terminally ill patients.⁴

But hospices aren’t just underfunded by the government – they’re also only partially funded by them. The theme of this year’s Hospice Care Week, hospice retail, aims to shed light on the fact that ‘for the first time ever, more funding has been raised by hospices’ own retail than has been given to them by the state.’⁵

For example, St Leonard’s Hospice in York only receives around 27% of their funding from the government, with St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield receiving a nearly identical from the government of 26%.⁶The rest of their funding is raised from fundraising events, retail and charity shops.

Worryingly, St Luke’s and St Leonard’s funding challenges are by no means unique in the hospice world. Hospice retail isn’t just about raising bonus funds, but in fact provides essential funding that hospices need to survive.

Getting involved

To raise awareness for hospices and the unique challenges they face, Hospice Care Week is about everyone getting involved in whichever capacity they’re able, from creating and sharing topical social media posts to supporting your local hospice charity shop.

Businesses that want to organise a company-wide event to raise money would be contributing to a worthwhile cause, but you should also bear in mind that any endeavour involving volunteers and certain activities could have implications for your company’s liability.

For more information on how Towergate can assist you with finding the protection your hospice needs, please call 0330 123 5154 or email

newcharity@towergate.co.uk. Alternatively, you can visit www.towergateinsurance.co.uk.

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About the author

Carolyn Baker-Mellor - care insurance articles author Carolyn Baker-Mellor is a respected industry leader with over 35 years' experience within the care insurance sector.