How we are funded

Our supporters have always been loyal and consistent in raising incredible amounts of money. Without their support we would not be able to keep our doors open, as only around one third of our income comes from the NHS.  

We have to raise an additional £8 million a year to cover all our costs and we are very aware that our supporters are also facing a cost-of-living crisis. The volatile and unpredictable nature of our income is a big worry and one we share with other hospices and charities. 

Good end-of-life care is not a nice to have but a must have, and it is vital that hospices like ours get more support to help pay for our spiralling costs. 

The cost of providing our care 

High inflation rates mean that the cost of providing our care is increasing all the time. Staffing, energy and supplier costs are all becoming more expensive. 

Providing the care that we do means we have big energy bills – heating the building, hot water including for laundry, and operating kitchens at both our sites mean high energy use is unavoidable. We wash over 250 items and cook around 150-180 meals each day! Of course, we also encourage our staff to make small changes such as turning off lights and not leaving computers on standby too.  

Across our two sites we estimate that once our current fixed rates end, our energy costs will be three or four times higher than they were previously, possibly increasing to as much as £600-800k per year. 

What the money we raise pays for 

Here are just a few examples of how much it costs to provide different elements of our care here at St Ann’s, and what generous donations from our supporters can pay for: 

• £20.60 could pay for a complementary therapy session for a patient or carer 
• £30.25 could pay for time for a patient to receive specialist support from a psychological support team member to help identify when some extra or different help is needed 
• £50.60 could pay for a treatment session for a patient with our lymphoedema, physiotherapy, occupational therapy or rehabilitation teams 
• £59.85 could pay for food for a week for one of our inpatients 
• £101.20 could provide a two-hour specialist rehabilitation session to aid patients with personal activities of daily living to help maximise their mobility and independence 
• £65,069 could pay for our inpatient nursing teams to care for patients for a week 
• £20,000 is the cost of providing one day’s care and support across our Little Hulton and Heald Green sites. 

Why we are pushing ahead with our plans for a new hospice in Heald Green 

Immediate concerns about energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis must not stop us planning for the future. 

We are currently fundraising for an entirely new building in Heald Green to replace our current hospice. This will be built on the land next door to our current hospice. Our Victorian hospice building in Heald Green is far from energy efficient, with single-glazed windows, plumbing as old as the building and a roof in need of replacement. We have been patching it up for a long time now, and the need for a new building has become urgent.  

We would love to hear from you! 

 We have reached the £500,000 milestone in our push for the final £2million we need to make our new hospice a reality. If you can help or want to find out more, please visit our Build It Together appeal website or contact the fundraising team on 0161 498 3631.