Nottinghamshire Hospice is calling for action to ensure people do not have to leave access to vital hospice care to chance, as Hospice Care Week 2026 highlights unequal access facing people at the end of life.  

Hospice care eases the physical and emotional pain of death and dying, helping people focus on living, right until the end. But nearly 1 in 3 people do not get the care they need at the end of their lives, and where someone lives can affect their chance of getting the support they need.  

This Hospice Care Week, running from 5 -11 October 2026, Nottinghamshire Hospice is joining hospices across the UK to say: “Don’t leave hospice care to chance.”  

Why fairer hospice funding matters 

On average, government funding covers only around 40% of the cost of care provided by adult hospices and around one third for children’s hospices, meaning they rely heavily on their local communities to raise the money needed to provide care.  

Local communities give generously to support their hospices, from taking part in fundraising events and challenges to volunteering their time and making donations. This generosity is what helps hospices provide vital care every day, and Nottinghamshire Hospice is incredibly grateful to everyone in the local community who helps make its work possible.  

But access to hospice care should not depend on how much a community is able to give. Communities do not all have the same ability to fundraise, while the amount of government funding individual hospices receive can also vary dramatically. This means where someone lives can affect not only whether hospice care is available, but how much care their local hospice can provide.  

Growing pressure on hospice services 

A broken funding model and rising costs mean hospices are under pressure like never before. Nearly 6 in 10 hospices have either made or are considering cuts to frontline services, meaning in many areas the chance of being able to access hospice care is shrinking.  

Hospices are underfunded, underutilised and under more pressure than ever. And hospice funding can be down to the roll of the dice, leaving their future uncertain.  

But one thing that is certain is rising demand for their care. Up to 90% of people who died would benefit from palliative care, and this will only increase.  

Everyone deserves high-quality hospice care, whoever they are, and wherever they live.  

Protecting care for people in Nottinghamshire 

Nottinghamshire Hospice provides care in people’s homes and in the community, helping patients remain in familiar surroundings with the people they love at end-of-life. But without sustainable funding, services like these are at risk.  

Rachel Hucknall, Chief Executive at Nottinghamshire Hospice said: 
“Across our county, hospice care helps people spend their final days in comfort, dignity and surrounded by loved ones. But services like this cannot continue without fair and sustainable funding. Once services are lost, they are incredibly difficult to rebuild. That is why we are standing alongside hospices across the country to call for urgent action. 

Rachel added, “We currently care for one in four people who die in Nottinghamshire. We need to protect this care for local people now, and in the future”  

Helping Dorothy stay in the home she loved 

For Dorothy, staying at home meant being with her husband in the house they had shared for more than 20 years, with her bed facing the garden she loved. 

When nights became difficult, Nottinghamshire Hospice’s overnight care helped Dorothy remain at home and gave her husband the chance to sleep, knowing she was being cared for. 

Her granddaughter Kimberly said: 

“She was comfortable and she was at home. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve that had we not had the hospice’s help.” 

Hospice care should not be something people have to be lucky enough to access.  

Everyone deserves high-quality, compassionate care at the end of life, whoever they are and wherever they live. 

Find out more about Hospice Care Week here