To mark Hospice Care Week, St Peter & James Hospice announces hopes for future funding
Celebrating 50 Years of Compassionate Care
Hospice Care Week takes place from 6–12 October 2025, offering an opportunity for us all to celebrate and champion hospice care nationwide. This year’s theme is “Hospice care is more than you think” this couldn’t be more fitting for St Peter & St James Hospice as we mark 50 years of caring for our community in Sussex.
Earlier this year, we hosted a special Golden Garden Party to celebrate our milestone anniversary and to thank everyone who has supported us over the past five decades. We were honoured to welcome Alison Bennett, MP for Mid Sussex, to join our celebrations.
During her visit, Alison spoke with Amanda Fadero, our CEO, and Robin Knight, Vice-Chair of the Trustees, about the challenges hospices are facing across the country. Following those conversations, Alison went on to propose a new policy motion to protect hospices at the recent Liberal Democrats Conference in Bournemouth, a motion that has now been passed.
“For too long, the vital role played by hospices in our health and care system has been overlooked,” Alison said. “These organisations provide compassionate, dignified care for people at the end of life, support their families, and give vital relief to our overstretched NHS. Yet years of neglect and underfunding have left them in crisis.”
On average, only around 30% of hospice funding comes from the NHS, meaning most hospices rely heavily on charitable donations. At St Peter & St James, that figure is even lower, just 13% of our income in the last financial year came from state funding. Alison’s proposed motion calls for hospices to be exempt from increases in Employer National Insurance Contributions and for the creation of a commission to improve their financial stability. It also seeks to address the postcode lottery in palliative care by allocating funding based on demand.
“Supporting people to live and die well is at the heart of St Peter & St James’s work,” Alison added, “and they must be given the support and resources to carry out this mission.”
As we celebrate Hospice Care Week, Amanda Fadero reflects on what hospice care truly means today:
“Many think first of our Inpatient Unit and our incredible care, housekeeping, and catering teams. But hospice care is also our Community Nursing Team, visiting patients and families at home, and our Living Well Centre, supporting wellbeing through social, practical, holistic and counselling services. It’s so much more than people realise.”
In an increasingly challenging fundraising landscape, St Peter & St James has continued to adapt. The hospice recently secured four Continuing Health Care (CHC) beds, enabling additional NHS funding and helping to care for more people in need. These new beds will generate around £250,000 a year, a small but vital step towards the £6.9 million required annually to operate the hospice.
“We applaud Alison’s proposed policy and hope it gains cross-party support,” Amanda added. “In the meantime, our CHC provision helps bridge the financial gap and ensures St Peter & St James Hospice continues to thrive as a safe, effective, modern and sustainable hospice.”
As we look ahead to the next 50 years, we remain committed to our founding purpose supporting people to live and die well.
To learn more about our services or donate to our 50th Anniversary campaign, please visit www.stpjhospice.org.
