Our impact 2022/23; A Year in Stories

Welcome to Our Impact 2022-23; A Year in Stories

Find out more about how we met unmet need, improved accessibility, worked together and nurtured sustainability last year – all key pledges as part of our organisational strategy.

In the last year, we’ve supported 3,000 people.

For a local hospice care and emotional wellbeing support charity, that is a staggering number. But when it comes to our care, no-one is a number. Everyone is an individual.

We see the whole person – we value, respect and support their unique stories, experiences and needs.

We are proud to have changed 3,000 lives; we feel privileged to have connected with 3,000 individuals; and we won’t stop at offering services to 3,000 people.

More families need, want and deserve our care, and that fact drives us forward.

So when we share the difference we have made, we know numbers can never tell the whole story, and cannot begin to represent the rich and varied lives, loves and experiences of the individuals using our services.

This document is therefore a celebration of every individual who we are humbled to have been alongside, with their stories centre stage.

But there are some numbers we cannot ignore.

By 2040, demand for hospice care is expected to surge by a massive 25% to 47% [1].

People are living longer, with increasingly complex needs, and our population is steadily aging.

The pandemic increased the demand for palliative and end of life care, and created challenges from which our health and care sector has not recovered.

At least a quarter of people who need hospice care miss out on vital services at the end of life.

Covid-19, too, worsened our country’s mental health. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England [2],  while 18% of children aged 7-16 had a probable mental disorder in 2022 – up by almost a third from 2017 [3].

These numbers tell their own story – one in which people are struggling alone, and missing out on the care and support they need, when they need it most.

We are determined to change the narrative – to be part of the story for each person who needs us.

So, as well as lifting up the voices of those who are part of our community – patients, families, clients, supporters, colleagues and partners, this document looks ahead to our next chapter – sharing how we’ll continue to do more, reach further and continue our story, together.

As an independent charity, our care and support wouldn’t be possible without you – our community.

Support our work and make a donation today.

[1] https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0675/#:~:text=Demand%20for%20palliative%20and%20end%20of%20life%20care,is%20expected%20to%20increase%20by%2025%25%20to%2047%25. [accessed November 2023]

[2] https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/ [accessed November 2023]

[3] https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2022-follow-up-to-the-2017-survey#summary [accessed November 2023]