Inpatient Unit Ward Manager urges MP’s to support Hospice Care

• 13 May 2026

Our CEO, Sharon Allen and Inpatient Unit Ward Manager, Jenny Oakes, joined hospice leaders from across the country in Westminster on Wednesday 15 April to deliver a letter to the Prime Minister to call for fair funding for hospice care.

75% of hospices are running a deficit, including Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and nearly six in ten have either already made or are considering cuts to frontline services (according to Hospice UK’s Financial Benchmarking Survey). The situation is not sustainable and time is running out.

Sharon and Jenny were proud to stand alongside fellow hospice colleagues and Hospice UK to highlight the growing financial pressures facing hospices and the impact this has on people living with advanced illness and those at the end of their lives. Jenny commented:

“We want to continue providing the service for everybody who needs it. To do that we need fair funding for us at Arthur Rank Hospice and for all our fellow hospices throughout the country.”

She continued by reflecting on the day:

“It felt empowering to come together as a collective and engage with MPs. On the one hand it was great to take part but on the other hand it’s the club nobody wanted to be in. There was also time to network with colleagues who were in the same situation as us, some that are not as lucky as us – which was really hard but equally nice to be able to support each other and know that you’re not alone in the uncertainty.”

Jenny added:

“If things carry on as they are, all hospices across the Country will need to make cuts to services which will have a direct impact on patients and their families. The clock is ticking for us.

Thanks to our fantastic community support we’ve had a 12 month reprieve but unfortunately if things don’t change we will be among the many hospices who have to make significant service cuts. We’ve got a busy Inpatient Unit that proves the service is needed.”

Jenny concluded:

“Everybody is going to die at some point and you only get one chance to get it right. We don’t want people dying in corridors or on busy A&E wards in hospitals and we want to carry on making every moment count for patients and their loved ones.

We really need all MP’s to get behind Hospice Care and we are asking people to support the campaign by writing to the Chancellor. Hopefully our voices will be heard with the more people that do it.”

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To find out more about updates and our Protect our Care campaign, please visit arhc.org.uk/POC