Hospices are just about dying
Once maybe, but certainly not anymore. Hospices are in fact about so much more. They are about helping people and their families to live with dying, whether in a hospice or, more often, within their own homes.
Hospices are only for terminally-ill cancer patients
Hospice care is for people with all kinds of illnesses. These can include cancer and the advanced stages of multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, heart and lung disease.
Hospice care is too expensive or exclusive
Hospice care is free for every patient, regardless of wealth, gender or background.
We are mainly funded by the government
We receive just over a quarter of our annual running costs from the government. The rest of the money has to be found through fundraising, donations and legacies. In total, we have to find £10,000 every single day of every single year to provide the right type of care for our patients.
We only care for old people
St Nicholas Hospice Care provides specialist care to anyone over the age of 18 years old who is living with a life shortening illness. Support is also available to all of the family before and during the illness, and after death. The Hospice also offers a bereavement service to children in the area, even if they have not had any connection to the Hospice.
