Don’t leave hospice care to chance

Hospice care is something to be proud of. After all, the modern hospice movement was founded here in England in the 1960s, led by Dame Cicely Saunders. This Hospice Care Week, Barnsley Hospice is asking for your help. 

Barnsley Hospice represents everything that makes the town special: heart, spirit and a commitment to ensuring people have access to the care they deserve. Perhaps that is unsurprising, considering the hospice began with a group of volunteers in 1985 who believed local people should not have to travel to further afield to access hospice care. 

While the services and care provided by the hospice have grown and evolved since it opened its doors in 1994, it is still the support of the local community that makes it possible. 

Barnsley Hospice relies heavily on charitable income to fund its services, which include a 24/7 Inpatient Unit, support and wellbeing services, counselling and bereavement support, and a 24/7 helpline, to name just a few. 

Last year’s running costs were £5.5 million. The hospice received a grant of £1.9 million from the NHS, but the remaining £3.6 million had to be raised through fundraising activities. Put simply, this means the hospice needs to raise more than £9,800 every day to fund its services. 

Over the last six months, the hospice has received £1.3 million in income from fundraising, the Hospice Retail Hub in Dodworth and the generosity of the local community. For the remaining six months of the financial year, it needs to raise a further £2.3 million just to break even. 

At present, the hospice expects to face a deficit of around £1 million this financial year.

Rosie Mellor-Silvester, Director of Income Generation at Barnsley Hospice, said: 

“Stories like ours are unfortunately not uncommon throughout the hospice sector. We know how lucky we are to have such wonderful support from our town, and it is not something we ever take for granted. 

“The generosity we see every day is something to be celebrated. However, we must also be honest about the challenges we face and highlight the reality that we, along with many other hospices, are experiencing.” 

With unavoidable increases in running costs due to factors such as rising energy bills, National Insurance increases and investment in vital income generation, the hospice is working harder than ever to ensure the future of its services is secure. The importance of this is starkly underlined by predictions that the need for palliative and end of life care in England will increase by 25% by 2048. 

Dot and Barri Woodger have been attending weekly sessions in the hospice’s support and wellbeing service, The Orangery, since Barri was diagnosed with cancer four years ago.  

Dot said, “We have met so many friends since coming to the hospice, and it has made such a difference to our lives.  

“Every day that Barri and I get to spend together is a special day, and since coming to the hospice it has opened our eyes to how many people need their support. 

“When we realised how much it cost to run the hospice, we wanted to raise as much money as possible so other people can access the same care we have received. I always say, ‘pennies make pounds’, so we are just doing what we can’.” 

The future of the hospice relies on the community’s continued support, as well as calls for a fairer funding model. That is why Barnsley Hospice is asking you to support local families and don’t leave hospice care to chance.  

You can show your support by donating to the hospice online today. Visit www.barnsleyhospice.org.