Hospice pleads for donations amid rising demand

A Herefordshire hospice has revealed how they are facing a major increase in referrals - and say it's "essential" they raise more money.

St Michael's Hospice in Hereford is attempting to open up a large new furniture and homeware store in Shropshire, as a way of getting extra cash.

They have revealed that more than 80% of their funding now relies on public donations - at a time when they are facing escalating costs and a rise in referrals of 119 per cent since 2017.

Chief executive Matt Fellows said: "It's a real challenge, as it is for hospices around the country at the moment."

Mr Fellows also said he was concerned that hospices face a postcode lottery when it comes to funding.

"We've got a continued cost of living pressure, and we feel that - the National Insurance changes this year alone cost us £240,000," he said.

He also added that people are living longer as a society, but not necessarily healthier.

"We're seeing people referred with greater complexity, across the UK, within palliative and end-of-life care," he said.

"It's a big struggle (to fund everything) - in round figures it costs around £12 million a year to run everything here, we get £2 million from the National Health Service so we've got to find £10 million from our community.

"We are incredibly fortunate in that they are very generous - but actually if our community stopped funding us, we would cease to exist pretty quickly."

St Michael's Hospice cared for 2,300 people last year - that's compared to just over 1,000 people in 2017.

The furniture store will be on a manufacturing site in Ludlow - a planning application is currently being considered by Shropshire Council.

In the application, it states that the hospice's services 'will be at risk' unless the plan is approved.

Mary Roche, who is 42 and lives in Hereford, is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient and has been accessing the hospice's day care services since 2023.

"It's a non-smoking lung cancer - I was diagnosed when I was 39, I coughed up a lot of blood and went for an X-ray," she said.

"I come here for counselling and to see the physio, and they've also been very good with counselling to support my family," she said.

"I come in and feel calm. I just think it's crazy that hospices are so underfunded across the country - it's just mind-boggling really."

In December hospices across England were awarded £100m of government funding over two years to improve end-of-life care.

Another £26m was promised to hospices for children and young people, which was a continuation of money previously given through a grant.

It came after hospice leaders warned they were forced to close beds due to increasing financial pressures.

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