Help the Hospices

Help the Hospices
Name	Help the Hospices
Type	Charity
Founded	1967
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom, international projects
Mission	Support and promote hospice and palliative care

Help the Hospices is a United Kingdom–based charity formed to support hospice and palliative care services. It has engaged with health care providers, policymakers, and community organisations to enhance end-of-life care across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The organisation has worked alongside prominent institutions, professional bodies, and other charities to influence practice, funding, and public understanding of hospice services.

History

Help the Hospices was established in the late 20th century amid developments in palliative care and the hospice movement associated with figures and institutions such as Dame Cicely Saunders, St Christopher's Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie (charity), and Sue Ryder. Its early work intersected with policy debates involving the National Health Service (England), Department of Health and Social Care (United Kingdom), Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Department of Health (Northern Ireland). The charity engaged with academic centres like King's College London, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge on research and workforce development. Over time it connected with professional associations including the Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association, Royal College of Physicians, Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland, and Care Quality Commission inspections and regulatory frameworks.

Help the Hospices' timeline reflects intersections with major UK policy milestones such as the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, the Health and Social Care Act 2012, and responses to public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. It collaborated with international agencies including the World Health Organization, European Association for Palliative Care, and donor institutions like Wellcome Trust and Big Lottery Fund on capacity building and guideline dissemination.

Mission and Activities

The organisation's stated mission aligned with service improvement initiatives comparable to campaigns by Age UK, The King's Fund, Shelter (charity), and Citizens Advice Bureau projects. Its activities spanned advocacy, workforce training, research commissioning, and service development, working with clinical partners such as NHS England, Public Health England, Health Education England, NHS Scotland, and specialist units at Royal Marsden Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and regional hospice providers including Marie Curie Hospice and independent hospices across counties and cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Cardiff.

Programmes included liaison with academic journals and publishers such as BMJ, The Lancet, Palliative Medicine (journal), and organisations funding clinical audits like Audit Commission. Training and workforce support referenced curricula used by University College London and standards promulgated by bodies like the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Governance and Structure

The organisation operated with a board of trustees and executive leadership similar to governance models seen at Charity Commission for England and Wales regulated organisations, with oversight akin to boards at Shelter (charity), Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, and Cancer Research UK. Senior executives liaised with stakeholders including ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care (United Kingdom), chairs of parliamentary groups such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heart Disease, and health commissioners in integrated care systems influenced by policy reports from The King's Fund and Nuffield Trust.

Operational teams coordinated regional engagement, fundraising, communications, and policy analysis. Organisational practice drew on governance guidance from Institute of Fundraising and regulatory frameworks from the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

Fundraising and Campaigns

Fundraising activities paralleled national appeals and events run by charities like Comic Relief, Children in Need, BBC Children in Need, Sport Relief, Macmillan Cancer Support, and British Heart Foundation while using charity retail models similar to Oxfam Shops. Campaigns addressed funding for hospices, workforce shortages, and public awareness, engaging celebrities, MPs, and media outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, and Sky News to influence voters, donors, and funders.

Major campaigns referenced fiscal policy debates in the UK Parliament and mobilised endorsements from public figures comparable to patrons of Marie Curie (charity) or Royal British Legion. Fundraising channels included legacy giving, corporate partnerships with firms in finance and retail sectors, and events held in venues like ExCeL London, Royal Albert Hall, and regional civic centres.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Help the Hospices forged partnerships with healthcare providers, academic institutions, and charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie (charity), Sue Ryder, Royal Voluntary Service, Age UK, and professional bodies like the Royal College of General Practitioners. It worked with government agencies such as NHS England, Public Health England, and devolved health departments, and international organisations like the World Health Organization and European Association for Palliative Care on guideline development and cross-border learning.

Collaborative projects connected hospices to research funders and academic collaborators including Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, King's College London, and University of Manchester.

Impact and Reporting

Impact reporting drew on metrics used by health services and research institutions such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Care Quality Commission, NHS Digital, and academic outputs published in journals like BMJ, The Lancet, and Palliative Medicine (journal). Evaluations considered service capacity, workforce numbers, training uptake, and patient experience consistent with data standards from agencies like Office for National Statistics and performance frameworks used by NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care (United Kingdom).

Annual reports and sector briefings influenced commissioners, parliamentary inquiries, and policy research by think tanks such as The King's Fund and Nuffield Trust.

Recognition and Awards

The charity and its affiliates received sector recognition akin to awards given by organisations like the Charity Awards (UK), HSJ Awards, Queens Award for Voluntary Service, and professional honours from the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Nursing. Individual staff and trustees have been acknowledged in honours lists and sector accolades similar to those received by leaders in Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie (charity).

Category:Hospices in the United Kingdom