An estimated 111,000 people die in poverty every year in the UK [1]. In our report about death, dying and financial hardship, we found that the significant financial and social needs of people facing financial hardship or living in socio-economic deprivation are not currently being met at the end of life.
With funding from The Freemasons' Charity for our hospice grants programme, and through a collaborative partnership with Canada’s hospice organisation, the Saint Elizabeth Foundation, our new programme aims to make hospice services more accessible and supportive for people facing socio-economic disadvantage. The Saint Elizabeth Foundation will also work with us to ensure their expertise supports the programme and relevant findings are shared to a Canadian and international audience.
This programme will combine data, policy influencing work and hospice grants to drive system-level change and improve hospice practice. We want to make sure everyone gets the right care when they need it most, regardless of their financial status or where they live.
Grantees
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Each grantee has been selected to test practical approaches to identifying and reducing financial hardship within their local community. Their projects specifically target a range of socio-economic barriers including homelessness, fuel poverty and financial stress, low income and debt and access to hospice care.
Together, their work will help build a national evidence base on what works in reducing socio-economic barriers to hospice care.
Alice House Hospice, Hartlepool: working with the North Tees Specialist Palliative Care Team, Alice House will deliver an in-reach project supporting people experiencing financial hardship at end of life
Arthur Rank Hospice, Cambridge: training staff and volunteers to embed financial guidance across services so patients and unpaid carers can access benefits, grants and practical help
Ashgate Hospice, Chesterfield: partnering with CA-NED (Citizens Advice North East Derbyshire) and embedding a caseworker in the hospice to deliver timely financial advice and create a two-way referral route with community services
East Cheshire Hospice, Macclesfield: embedding a CAB adviser within the Hospice to provide tailored guidance, extending this service to people who are not yet accessing East Cheshire Hospice's care, and training staff to more easily start conversations about financial difficulties.
Hospiscare, Exeter: providing free financial, legal and practical advice for patients and families in Exeter and Mid Devon through Citizens Advice Exeter
Nottinghamshire Hospice, Nottingham: setting up a council-partnered wellbeing group in Clifton to support patients to live well with their diagnosis as well as helping Nottinghamshire Hospice to better understand the challenges they face
The Prince of Wales Hospice, Pontefract: training and equipping PWH's retail staff and volunteers to recognise subtle signs of financial hardship, social vulnerability, and loneliness in customers and donators, transforming hospice shops into trusted community hub points
Saint Francis Hospice, Romford: piloting a part-time Specialist Welfare Rights Advisor within the Family and Individual Support Service, who will assess and support patients, carers, and bereaved families experiencing financial stress
St Christopher’s Hospice, London: consulting communities experiencing resource poverty in Lewisham to identify barriers, then co-design solutions and referral pathways, including volunteer Resource Poverty Champions
St Luke’s Hospice, Harrow: establishing partnerships with local carers and Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) to better identify and respond to unmet need of those affected by socio-economic disadvantage within the richly diverse community
St Mary’s Hospice, Ulverston: ensuring every wellbeing referral receives a holistic palliative nurse assessment and connecting people to community resources such as financial advice, heating support and carers services
Teesside Hospice Care Foundation, Middlesborough: working with ACT Middlesbrough to deliver outreach palliative/COPD support for homeless and substance-misuse affected people, tackling barriers through partnership and training
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Grants for hospices to support people living in financial hardship
Find out about our grants to help hospices improve support for people experiencing financial hardship or living in socio-economic deprivation.
We are grateful for the support given by the Masonic Charitable Foundation and Canada's hospice organisation Saint Elizabeth Foundation, without which this programme would not be possible
