Hospices offer compassionate palliative and end of life care, at the most difficult of times, but with the NHS/government funding on average less than a third of their costs, they are facing serious financial pressures. Gifts in Wills are a vital part of their income, and five local hospices have joined a national campaign to raise awareness of the role that these generous donations play in funding their care.
Caption: Five local hospices have joined a national campaign which highlights the importance of gifts in Wills in funding hospice care.
Being diagnosed with an advanced or terminal illness such as cancer, or supporting a loved one who has been diagnosed, is heart-breaking. Knowing there is someone there to provide specialist care and support can seem like a light in the darkness. Hospices across the UK care for 300,000 people every year, and support 60,000 family members, carers and friends, free of charge, but are reliant on their local communities to help fund this care. Should you choose to leave a gift in your Will, no matter how large or small, it will help your local hospice to build financial security, grow their services, and reach more people who need their help.
On average, gifts left to UK hospices in Wills provide a fifth of their annual income, meaning that they pay for the care of one in five of their patients. With the number of annual deaths in the UK expected to rise by 130,000 by 2040, hospices will experience unprecedented pressure, and the role that gifts in Wills play in helping to fund their care will become even more important. Hospice UK, which represents hospices across the UK, is running a national campaign, ‘This is Hospice Care’, to highlight the growing need for these services. Local hospices participating in the campaign include: Phyllis Tuckwell, Princess Alice Hospice, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, St Catherine’s Hospice, and Woking & Sam Beare Hospice and Wellbeing Care.
Leaving a gift in your Will is a deeply personal way to support your local hospice, and in doing so celebrate your own life and values. Your gift would represent your last wishes and could be made in memory of someone you loved. It would help local people who are living with an advanced or terminal illness to live life to the full during the precious time they have, and would be a lasting legacy to you, your vision and your generosity.
Knowing that someone has left a gift in their Will enables hospices to plan for the future, secure in the knowledge that the care they give in years to come will be funded by these generous donations. Every day, their doctors, nurses, health care assistants, therapists, counsellors and patient & family advisors care for patients, families and carers on their In-Patient Units, at outpatient appointments, and in patients’ own homes and care homes, ensuring it is accessible to all who need it.
As well as being given in memory, in gratitude and as an investment in future hospice care, gifts in Wills are tax-free and can reduce the Inheritance Tax payable on people’s estates when they die.
Each participating hospice has information on its website about how to leave a gift in your Will, and how you can help local people receive the compassionate, specialist palliative and end of life care they need, at such a difficult time in their and their families’ lives. This is hospice care. Help it live on for all, for now, forever. To find your local hospice, visit www.thisishospicecare.org.uk
All our services are free, but this is only possible due to the generosity of our amazing community. The Government/NHS only provide 25% of our costs, so we need to raise over £25,000 every day to provide our vital services.
Please donate what you can to help keep hospice care available to all those in our community who need us.
