Sue Ryder, the charity who operate Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger, is due to appear on a BBC show this weekend in order to raise awareness of the growing difficulties hospice charities face.
The BBC Lifeline Appeal will be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday 18th August at 1.50pm and will feature members of staff at St John’s Hospice who outline what you can do to help keep them running.
Allison Mann is a Service Director for Sue Ryder Hospices and hopes local people will tune in to find out more about the services they offer.
“Being featured as part of the BBC Lifeline appeal gives Sue Ryder the opportunity to share more about what we do and the support we need to keep delivering our services with potentially hundreds of thousands of TV viewers”, said Allison.
“Not many people understand what hospices are or know about the care we give.
“Sue Ryder is there when it matters, providing palliative care from the very point of diagnosis, to offering expert symptom control during their treatment, right through to being at people’s bedside at the end of life, whether that be in a hospice like Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, or in their home.”
Rising costs
Sue Ryder’s BBC Lifeline appeal comes at a time when hospice charities across the UK lament the lack of funding available.
In January 2024, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hospice and End of Life Care published a report on Government funding for hospices.
The APPG’s inquiry found that despite the introduction of a legal requirement for Integrated Care Boards to commission palliative and end of life care, commissioning of hospice services is currently not fit for purpose, and the value they provide to the wider health system is at risk.
“Currently, the government provides only about one-third of the funding that hospices like Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice need, and, like the rest of the palliative care sector, we rely on fundraising activities and voluntary donations to cover the remaining costs”, said Allison.
“Amazingly, our vital bereavement services, which thousands of people rely on each year, receive no funding at all.
“Sue Ryder relies on people running marathons or selling second-hand cardigans in our shops to keep our services open. This must change so we can ensure no one is left to grieve or die alone.”
The programme is due to be broadcast on Sunday 18th August at 1.50pm on BBC One with a repeat on Friday 23rd August at 12.50pm on BBC Two.
To find out more about the Sue Ryder BBC Lifeline appeal, you can visit the Sue Ryder Lifeline Appeal page here.
