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This week, BBC Newsnight, presented by Victoria Derbyshire, hosted a powerful discussion on the national hospice funding crisis.

Victoria spoke with Dr Gabrielle Tamura-Rose, Medical Director at St Raphael’s Hospice, about the current hospice funding model. Dr Tamura-Rose explained that hospices urgently need more support to reach more people and provide vital care – especially as hospitals struggle with increasing patient numbers. While the Government’s £100 million grant to hospices in England was welcomed, she stressed that it simply isn’t enough.

At The Myton Hospices, we echo St Raphael’s message. Like many hospices, we are seeing demand for our services rise while financial pressures continue to mount. Increases to National Insurance and the National Living Wage have added an unexpected £190,000 to our costs this year alone.

With demand growing, we have waiting lists for our hospice beds on most days – and tragically, some people die before a bed becomes available.

While hospices across the UK are facing the heart-breaking reality of cutting services and staff, we are working tirelessly to protect the care and support our patients and families rely on. We stand by our hospice colleagues and join them in calling for urgent funding reform to protect specialist end of life care.

The programme also featured Nigel, a patient at St Raphael’s Hospice living with a rare form of lung cancer. He spoke movingly about the dedication of hospice staff and the difference their care has made to his life.

Nigel urged the Government to increase funding so hospices can continue caring for people at the end of their lives. We would like to add our heartfelt thanks to Nigel for bravely sharing his story and helping to highlight the vital importance of hospice care.

Victoria also interviewed Sir Michael Palin, whose wife, Helen, was cared for in a hospice during the last month of her life. Sir Michael described how the hospice was an enormous comfort to Helen and their family after years of pain and hospital treatment.

He shared how the hospice provided personal care, peace, and time, with family able to visit freely – including their grandchildren. He said the last four weeks of Helen’s life were some of her happiest, as she was finally free from pain and able to focus on precious moments with her loved ones.

We share Sir Michael’s view. At Myton – and in hospices across the country – we pride ourselves on creating calm, peaceful environments where families can spend quality time together, making memories that can be cherished forever.

Sir Michael and Victoria also discussed how hospice care is free to patients, yet many people are unaware that funding largely depends on community support – from bake sales and fun runs to gifts in Wills.

At Myton, only 17% of our funding comes from the NHS, meaning we must raise £12.7 million this year to continue providing our services free of charge.

We rely heavily on the generosity of our community – including those who donate, fundraise, volunteer, shop with us, and leave a gift in their Will – to ensure we can continue caring for people living with a life-limiting illness and their loved ones.

Sir Michael ended with a heartfelt plea to the Chancellor, saying:

We need more hospices, not fewer.

We couldn’t agree more. Hospices relieve pressure on hospitals, support families through the most difficult times, and provide people with the dignity, peace, and comfort they deserve at the end of their lives.

We’d like to thank Sir Michael for speaking so movingly about his wife, Helen and sharing their experience of hospice care.  We would also like to thank Victoria Derbyshire and the Newsnight team for shining a light on this critical issue and showcasing the vital role hospices play in supporting patients and families.

At Myton, we have 36 beds, but can currently only afford to keep 25 open. As the only provider of hospice beds in Coventry and Warwickshire, demand for our services is high and continuing to grow. Our community depends on us, and we remain determined to keep beds open and essential services running.

Without urgent and sustainable funding reform, hospice care everywhere is at risk. Patients will wait longer for care, families will lose vital support, and even more hospice beds will lie empty – not because the need isn’t there, but because the funding isn’t.

We’re working with Hospice UK to fight for fair, sustainable funding but we can’t wait. We need our community to stand with us now. Because no one should face the end of life alone.

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