The Hospice of the Good Shepherd provides its services free of charge to the patients and families who use it. It costs £5.2million to run each year and just 17% of the funding for this comes from statutory sources. The remaining 83% is fully reliant on fundraising activities and support from the local community in Cheshire. In addition to this, they also raise money through their local charity shops and their weekly lottery draw.

Working as a NHS District Nurse in Chester from 2014- 2021 involved caring for many people with a palliative diagnosis at home. This time gave me a professional insight into the value of the Hospice and the services they provide to our local patients for ongoing physical, mental, emotional and social support. They are able to provide specialist symptom management to those who need it, and also end of life support for those who wish for the Hospice to be part of their care. In my current role (still within the community), I continue to make referrals to the hospice for admissions, or to the Living well centre for ongoing support for patients and families. The Hospice team are not only there to support patients, but they are also a great source of support for professionals, through their ability to provide specialist advice.

I am running the London Marathon this year to raise funds for this vital and inspiring patient service.