Ourselves and Wakefield Hospice are urging people across the Wakefield district to consider leaving a gift in their Will, as new figures highlight the growing pressure on hospice and end of life care.
This news comes as we join 127 hospices across the country, uniting for a second year behind the This is Hospice Care campaign.
Almost 1 in 3 people across the UK are dying without the palliative care and support they need, according to new research from Marie Curie.
At the same time, hospices across England ended the last financial year with a collective deficit of more than £70 million – more than double the previous year, according to Hospice UK.
Ourselves and Wakefield Hospice, serving communities across the Wakefield district, say the figures underline why long-term support from the local community is so important, including gifts left in Wills.
Hospice care provides specialist support for people living with a life-limiting illness, as well as their families. This can include managing symptoms, providing emotional support, helping people remain independent and supporting families through bereavement.
But as demand for palliative and end of life care continues to grow, hospices are facing increasing financial pressures.
Marie Curie’s research estimates that around 200,000 people across the UK are dying with unmet palliative care needs, with this number expected to increase further without additional support.
For local hospices, sustainable income is essential to ensuring services can continue to be there for people when they need them.
Rob Edden, Director of Finance here at our Hospice, said: “The need for hospice care is not going away. We know that more people will need specialist palliative and end of life care in the years ahead, while hospices are also facing significant financial pressures. At The Prince of Wales Hospice, gifts in Wills are a vital part of the care we provide. They help towards funding the care of seven out of ten people who use our services and give us the confidence to plan for the future. A gift in your Will can make a difference long after you have gone. It could help a future patient receive expert care, help a family through an incredibly difficult time or help someone spend precious time with the people they love.
A gift does not have to be large to make a lasting difference. We would simply encourage people to consider remembering their local hospice when making or updating their Will, after they have provided for the people closest to them.
Laura Button, Deputy Director of Care Services at Wakefield Hospice said: “Each year, Wakefield Hospice touches the lives of thousands of people across our local community. Whether we are caring for a patient, supporting their family, or helping friends and loved ones through an incredibly difficult time, the care we provide may take place within our hospice, but its impact reaches far beyond our doors.
“Every patient and service user we support has their own story and their own circle of people walking alongside them. At Wakefield Hospice, we become part of that circle too – supporting those around the patient as well as providing the very best care for their loved one.
“The gifts we receive in Wills are a wonderful reflection of those connections. They come not only from people we have cared for, but from people across our community who have seen, experienced or simply believe in the difference Wakefield Hospice makes.
“Many of us will have been part of someone’s circle during a difficult time, and will know just how important it is to have the right care and support around you. For those who choose to remember Wakefield Hospice in their Will, thank you. Your generosity helps ensure we can continue to be there for people in your community, and for the people who matter most to them, for generations to come.”
Both us and Wakefield Hospice are keen to stress that leaving a gift in a Will does not mean giving up anything today. A gift can be left after family and loved ones have been provided for, allowing people to make a lasting contribution to the future of hospice care.
For Wakefield Hospice and us, legacy gifts can provide a vital source of long-term income, helping them continue to support local people and their families for generations to come.
Together, ourselves and Wakefield Hospice are asking people across the Wakefield district to consider leaving a gift in their Will and helping make sure specialist hospice care is there for future generations.
To access more information on the charities Will writing services visit www.pwh.org.uk/giftinyourwill (The Prince of Wales Hospice) or www.wakefieldhospice.org/makeawill (Wakefield Hospice).
