Hospice care is ‘more than you think’

Barnsley Hospice is proudly taking part in Hospice Care Week this October (2-6), a national campaign led by Hospice UK to shine a spotlight on hospices across the country.

This year’s campaign theme ‘there’s more to hospice care than you think’ is focusing on how hospices, like Barnsley Hospice, offer care that extends beyond the Inpatient Unit or ‘ward’ setting that many initially associate with hospice care.

The hospice, based in Gawber, has been at the heart of the community for more than 31 years and delivers personalised care for people with life-limiting illness and their loved ones.

Martine Tune, CEO and Chief Nurse at Barnsley Hospice, said; “Throughout 2024/25, we supported 463 local people living with life-limiting illnesses, and their families and friends. This total includes people who accessed care and support through our Inpatient Unit, Counselling and Bereavement service, The Orangery (support and wellbeing service) and medical outpatients. We are proud to offer such a breadth of hospice care, but we often hear that many people do not actually realise the extent of the services we provide – all of which  can be accessed free of charge.”

As well as palliative and end of life care on the Inpatient Unit, the hospice offers a medical outpatient service, a wellbeing service at The Orangery, counselling and Pall Call – a free helpline for medical professionals, and people in Barnsley living with a life-limiting illness as well as their loved ones, can access 24/7 specialist advice.

Whilst the hospice works hard to ensure local people can access this care free of charge, the charity faces an ongoing challenge to raise vital funds to sustain its expert care.

“Of course, there is a cost to the hospice to provide this care,” Martine continued. “As a charity, we must raise, on average, around two-thirds of our running costs every single year to be there for the people of Barnsley and those close to them. Without the amazing support of our dedicated fundraisers in the town, this simply would not be possible.

“We are still calling for a fairer and more sustainable funding model from the government so that we can continue delivering outstanding care free of charge. It is only because of the generous people of Barnsley we are able to be there for those who need us most.

“There is certainly a lot more to hospice care than many people think, and we continue to ask the wonderful people of Barnsley to help us in any way they can to ensure our services are here for many years to come. Whether that involves fundraising at work or in the community, volunteering with us, or donating and buying from our Retail Hub, it all makes a huge difference to the lives of local people and those close to them. Thank you to everyone who has supported the hospice, past, present or future – it truly means the word to all of us here at Barnsley Hospice.”

You can show your support for Barnsley Hospice this week by watching and sharing our campaign video on social media. You can also download some social media assets to show your support for the hospice. Find out more about how you can show your support here.