Don’t leave hospice care to chance: celebrating Hospice Care Week 2026
Moya Cole Hospice is joining with Hospice UK to celebrate the care, compassion and expertise of hospices, while calling for fair, sustainable access to that care for everyone.
What is Hospice Care Week?
For one week in October, Hospice Care Week shines a spotlight on the UK’s brilliant hospices and the remarkable people who make their care possible. By sharing stories, amplifying voices, speaking to policymakers and bringing the hospice movement together, the week celebrates everything hospices contribute to their communities.
It is also a time to speak up about the barriers hospices face and to press for change. Local people give extraordinary support. Whether that is by donating to shops, volunteering, taking on challenges and raising vital funds. But community generosity alone cannot secure the future of hospice care. Hospices need greater and more consistent government support if they are to play their full part in meeting the pressures facing the UK’s health and care system.
Don’t leave hospice care to chance
Hospice care eases the physical and emotional pain of death and dying, helping people focus on living right until the end. Yet nearly one in three people do not receive the care they need at the end of life—and where someone lives can affect their chance of getting that care.
Charitable income makes up the majority of hospice funding, leaving services dependent on how much their local communities are able to raise. Government funding also varies widely from hospice to hospice. Combined with rising costs and a broken funding model, this is forcing many hospices to reduce services, which makes the availability of care increasingly uncertain.
Why access matters: The difference we are making at Moya Cole Hospice
The difference hospice care makes can be seen in the experiences shared by people cared for by Moya Cole Hospice. Their stories show why compassionate, personalised support should never depend on chance.
Kate’s story
Kate Afsar chose hospice care so she could be comfortable and make precious memories with her husband and two children in a calm, welcoming space. Her experience shows how hospice care can put a person’s wishes and family life at the heart of their final days. It gave Kate and those closest to her the opportunity to focus on time together, rather than allowing illness to define every moment. Care like this protects dignity while helping families create memories they can carry with them.
Sandra and Brian’s story
When Sandra’s husband, Brian, needed help managing pain and other symptoms, the hospice team provided expert care and reassurance. Sandra says that support made an extremely difficult time a little easier for the whole family. Alongside Brian’s clinical needs, the team’s reassurance helped those around him feel supported and less alone. Sandra’s experience demonstrates how hospice care can bring comfort and stability to an entire family at a deeply challenging time. Read Sandra and Brian’s story
Pamela’s story
Pamela came to the Little Hulton hospice needing support to manage COPD. With rehabilitation and encouragement, she progressed from struggling to stand and walk to dressing herself, managing her breath and preparing to return home with renewed independence. Each step forward helped Pamela regain confidence in what she could do for herself. Her progress shows that hospice care is not only about the end of life, it can also help people live more fully and independently in the present.
Jane’s story
After experiencing severe pain following a cancer diagnosis, Jane received complementary therapies at Moya Cole Hospice. Massage, relaxation techniques and personalised aromatherapy helped her manage pain and breathlessness, while her husband learned techniques he could use to support her too. This personalised approach gave Jane additional ways to feel more comfortable and in control of her symptoms. By involving her husband, the hospice also enabled that support to continue beyond each therapy session.
Stand with hospice care
This Hospice Care Week, help us say clearly: don’t leave hospice care to chance. Celebrate the people who make hospice care possible, share the stories that show its impact, and support the call for fair, sustainable funding so this essential care can be there for all, for now and forever.