When the government announced £25 million in capital funding for hospices recently, we welcomed it. Any investment in hospice care matters, and we’ve seen the positive impact of previous capital funding through improvements to our buildings at Fair Havens and Little Havens.
But we also need to be honest about what this funding can and cannot do.
Over the last 14 months, we have received nearly £1.3 million in capital funding. And, when taken at face value, our supporters could be forgiven for thinking that all the sector’s financial issues had been solved. But capital funding means we can only upgrade our IT systems or improve our facilities. What it doesn’t mean is that we can pay our nurses or care for families across Essex who choose to be supported in their own home.
Our care is delivered by people, not by buildings, and nearly half of our care is provided in the community.
These upgrades to our buildings and IT that we now must move forward with were not planned or budgeted for. They are ‘added extras.’ This means we cannot redirect any funds to pay for the care teams who provide the day-to-day expert, compassionate support that babies, children, young people and adults living with incurable conditions depend on.
The funding we have received so far could have paid for an additional five experienced nurses for five years – supporting patients to control their pain and symptoms, or providing comfort at the end of life. Real care for real people that will not only provide the compassion that patients deserve at the end of their life, but also give comfort to their friends and family, knowing that their loved one wasn’t left waiting for professional specialist care.
Right now, we have four empty beds at Fair Havens. Not because we don’t have the space. Not because there isn’t demand – in fact, demand for end of life care is rising. In the last five years, we have seen an 85% increase in the number of people we care for. We have empty beds simply because we cannot afford to continually staff them.
Meanwhile, hospitals across Essex are treating people in corridors.
When hospice beds sit empty, the NHS feels the impact. More people end up in hospital at the end of their lives when they could have been cared for at home or in a hospice – somewhere more peaceful, more personal, and more appropriate. The pressure then falls on already stretched A&E departments and hospital wards.
The truth about hospice funding
Only 14% of the funding for our free care comes from the government. The majority of the remaining income comes from people like you – our incredible community of supporters who donate, shop in our charity stores, take part in events, and remember us in their wills.
Your generosity literally keeps our doors open. Without it, the care we provide to babies, children, young people and adults facing incurable conditions simply wouldn’t happen.
The reality is that we are delivering what is essentially a core NHS service – specialist end of life care – on the back of charitable donations, and right now that model is under serious strain. We ensure every person entering the world has fully funded NHS maternity care. But for those leaving it, that same guarantee of dignity and specialist support simply isn’t there.
Costs are rising. Energy bills, NHS salaries – which we try to match to retain and recruit skilled nurses – National Living Wage, National Insurance, medical supplies – everything costs more. At the same time, we’re starting to notice that people can’t donate as much right now. We understand why. People are feeling the pinch themselves. Families are making difficult choices about their own household budgets, and we completely understand that. The community will always contribute to hospice care because of the wider benefits it brings to patients and families – the therapies, counselling, advice, and memory making. But we shouldn’t be as reliant as we currently are on fundraising to provide what is, essentially, an extension of the healthcare system.
What happens next?
Havens Hospices is currently in a manageable financial position thanks to careful planning, the incredible support of our community, and the dedication and loyalty of our colleagues and volunteers. We’re not in crisis today. But without a fundamental change in how hospices are funded across the UK, difficult decisions may need to be made about how we deliver care in the future.
We’re not alone in this. Hospices throughout the country are facing the same challenge. Some have already had to reduce services or close beds. Last month, a children’s hospice just over the border in East London closed its doors permanently. We’re speaking up now because these vital services are too important to lose.
What we’re asking for
We need a fairer, more sustainable funding model that recognises hospices as an integral part of the healthcare system – because that’s what we are.
We’re continuing to work with hospices across Essex, our local MPs, and Hospice UK to push for this change before it is too late.
Why we’re telling you this
We’re telling you this because you’re part of our community, and you deserve to know the reality of what we are facing.
Every donation, every purchase from our shops, every sponsored walk, every gift in a will – these aren’t just nice gestures. They are literally what stands between us and the ability to provide our care.
When you support Havens Hospices, you’re not just supporting a charity. You’re helping to keep our doors open. You’re funding the nurses who hold someone’s hand in their final hours. You’re making it possible for a family to spend precious time together and for people to have their final moments in peace and dignity.
That has never mattered more than it does right now, and we will keep pushing for the sustainable funding we need.
Thank you for everything you do. Your compassion makes an extraordinary difference to our patients and families every single day.
Because the care we provide – the care you make possible – is too important to lose.
Want to help? Make a donation here.
Published 26th January 2026
