- Almost 6,000 hospice nurses are paid for by legacy gifts in Wills per year
- 30,000 people per year wouldn’t receive hospice care without legacy income
- 71% of the UK believes hospices deserve greater support
- Only 27% have considered leaving a gift to charity in their Will
- A coalition of 143 hospices across Great Britain, brought together by Hospice UK, is spotlighting the critical role of legacy donations, through its national campaign ‘This is Hospice Care’
Newly released data from Hospice UK reveals that almost 6,000 hospice nurses are paid for by legacy gifts in Wills per year across the UK.
This comes as a coalition of 143 British hospices, led by Hospice UK, continues its landmark ‘This is Hospice Care’ campaign, highlighting the impact that hospices have on the people they help and their families. Building on momentum from its initial launch, they want to encourage more people to consider leaving a gift to their chosen hospice – joining thousands of others whose final wishes are helping to secure the future of Britain’s hospices.
Hospices are experiencing a surge in demand, which will continue to grow. With 90% of people who die in the UK potentially benefiting from palliative care¹, and around 130,000 more people expected to die annually by 2040 compared to 2023², funding from legacy donations is critical to maintaining current service levels.
Worryingly, whilst legacy giving is growing across the charity sector, hospices’ share of the legacy market is declining. Despite over a third of the public (37%) saying that they’d like to donate to their local hospice in the future (peaking at 46% for Londoners), only 27% have considered gifting to a charity in their Will.
Despite 71% of the public believing hospices deserve more support, and over a third (37%) saying they’d like to donate to their local hospice in future, there remains a significant gap between intention and action. Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis, with 50%feeling unable to donate to charity currently, legacy gifts offer an affordable way to create lasting impact without immediate financial pressure.
Many people still associate hospices solely with end-of-life care, unaware of the full spectrum of support they provide – from pain management and family counselling, to helping people with life-limiting conditions live as fully as possible. This campaign hopes to challenge these perceptions, by showcasing the true breadth of what hospice care really is, and inspire more people to consider donating to their chosen hospice in their Wills.
Leaving a gift in your Will is simple, and even a small gift can have a huge and lasting impact. Here’s how:
- Pick a hospice: this could be a hospice that had an impact on you or a loved one’s life, or simply your local hospice
- Write your Will, and include your choice of hospice, along with their registered name, address and charity number. If you prefer, you can also contact a solicitor for help to make sure your wishes are respected.
- You can find a solicitor by visiting the Law Society’s website www.lawsociety.org.uk
- Decide the type of gift – what or how much you leave in your Will is entirely your decision and you’ll also need to decide what type of gift you’d like to include. This is something your solicitor can also help you decide
- Leave a legacy
Catherine Bosworth, Director of Income Generation and Grants at Hospice UK, says:
“Hospices are more than a place where people go to die. They provide choice, dignity, and help families create lasting memories. They make life’s most difficult moments less scary – but they can only do this with enough funding. With Government funding only covering around 40% of the care that hospices provide, charitable donations such as Gifts in Wills are absolutely crucial to making sure hospices can provide their dedicated, specialist care to everyone who needs it. We hope this campaign will encourage more people to recognise their chosen hospices for all that they do, and ensure they can be there for the next family who needs them.”
Get involved
Hospice UK is encouraging people to consider leaving a gift in their Will to support hospice care. Even a small legacy donation can make a significant difference in ensuring exceptional end-of-life support is delivered to those who need it most.
For more information, you can visit the campaign website, search ‘hospice gift in Will’ today, or simply visit your local hospice.
To watch the ‘This is Hospice Care’ video, click here.
To access the ‘This is Hospice Care’ campaign website, click here.
Real-life stories
How sixteen years of support inspired one grandmother to give back through her Will
When Karen and Scott were told their middle child wouldn’t live past his fifth birthday, they wanted to put Jake in a bubble and protect him. Jake had fucosidosis, a metabolic disorder so rare that only ten other children worldwide were living with it at the time of his diagnosis.
The family’s GP suggested they contact Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and over the next sixteen years the hospice transformed not just Jake’s life, but his entire family’s.
What they found wasn’t what they’d expected. “From the start, to be able to come somewhere all of us could stay, where Jake would have the best time and we could have a break with our other two sons – it felt like a holiday. The care team were so fantastic with Jake we didn’t have to worry about him.”
Jake died in February 2023, having far outlived initial predictions. When his grandparents received information about writing a Will for free, she saw an opportunity. “I thought it was such a special way to ensure more children continue to receive the wonderful care that Jake did, and using the charity’s free will writing service was such an easy process.”
How a dedicated team helped David and Bev celebrate 39 years of marriage
When 63-year-old David was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, his world – and that of his wife, Bev – changed overnight. But it was the extraordinary lengths to which Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care went that made all the difference to him and his family.
One particularly memorable example of the team’s dedication came during David and Bev’s 39th wedding anniversary celebrations. The couple wanted to mark the occasion but couldn’t stay away from home due to David’s medication schedule. Thanks to the team’s support – and a nurse arriving at dawn to administer his treatment – they were able to make it happen.
Bev said: “I want to make sure that other families can access this crucial support when they need it, now and in the future. […]I have decided to pledge a gift to Rennie Grove Peace in my Will to help the charity continue its vital work for generations to come.”
If you are considering leaving a gift in your Will to St Teresa’s Hospice, please take a look at our Gifts in Wills page.
Sources: ¹Marie Curie. How many people need palliative care? Updated estimates of palliative care need across the UK, 2017-2021. Data and evidence briefing. [Internet]. Marie Curie; 2023 [cited 2024 Apr 16].
²Based on data from: Office for National Statistics (ONS). National population projections: 2020-based interim [Internet]. 2022 Jan 12 [cited 2024 Apr 16], and Office for National Statistics (ONS). Vital statistics in the UK: births, deaths and marriages [Internet] 2023 Feb 24 [cited 2024 Apr 16]. )
