Hospices unite to call on Londoners to leave a legacy for London

• For the first time, 12 hospices across London have united to raise awareness of their vital care and the importance of gifts in wills as they face rising demand 
• Last year, the cost of hospice care for 1 in 7 Londoners was paid for thanks to gifts in wills

Royal Trinity Hospice has joined hospices across London to change perceptions of hospice care and highlight the vital importance of gifts in wills to their holistic services for adults and children.

The London hospices serve a population of millions of Londoners and directly care for over 25,000 people every year and their loved ones:

• Royal Trinity Hospice
• Community Hospice
• Demelza
• ellenor Hospice
• Harlington Hospice
• Noah's Ark Children’s Hospice
• North London Hospice
• Shooting Star Children's Hospices
• Saint Francis Hospice
• St Christopher's
• St Joseph's Hospice
• St Luke's Hospice

The hospices are taking part in the “This is Hospice Care” campaign, a national collaboration of 143 hospices across Great Britain, brought together by Hospice UK. The campaign includes a powerful national TV campaign based on real-life stories from people who have experienced hospice care that challenge misconceptions about hospices, showing the breadth of care and support they provide and highlighting their place at the heart of local communities.

One of the scenes from the film was shot in Royal Trinity Hospice's gym, which is used by Trinity's Therapies team to support patients to be as active and independent as possible.

3,763 adults and children and their loved ones benefited from free hospice care in the capital last year thanks to the generosity of people choosing to leave a gift in their will to a hospice. New data released from Hospice UK today suggests legacy donations to hospices in Great Britain fund the equivalent of hospice care for 30,000 people per year, or 6,000 hospice nurses every year. 

Together with the partner hospices, Trinity is calling on Londoners to consider supporting them with a gift in their will, to ensure that the vital care they provide is secured for future generations. Find out more about leaving a gift to Trinity in your will or using our free will scheme here.

Last year, many hospices across the country were forced to announce cuts to services and jobs following spiralling costs and a surge in demand for care, which is expected to increase by 25% by 2040. Government intervention before Christmas saw a welcome £100m capital funding boost for hospices. This short-term injection of funds will help ease immediate financial pressures for some hospices for the next two years but it does not solve the ongoing funding crisis affecting the sector. 

Leaving a gift in a will - whether a percentage of an estate, a set amount, or an asset such as property - helps fund hospice care for future generations. This flexibility means that any gift of any size will positively impact the care of people at the end of their lives.

Catherine Bosworth, Director of Income Generation and Grants at national charity Hospice UK, is encouraging Londoners to consider the profound impact that a gift in their will can have: 

It is great to see the London hospices come together to celebrate and raise awareness of the impact that gifts in wills have on quality of life and death for adults and children across the capital. Hospices rely on charitable donations to keep their doors open, which is why we're asking everyone to consider leaving a gift in their will to a hospice close to their heart. By doing so, you can help us continue to provide this vital care, ensuring that everyone has the support they need for generations to come.

The amount of government support that hospices receive varies, but the hospices involved in the campaign must raise millions of pounds each year to supplement the government funds they receive. Last year, the cost of hospice care for 1 in 7 Londoners was paid for thanks to gifts in wills. 

Find out more about leaving a gift in your will or use our free will service