However, the sector is facing a funding crisis and the government has been unable to provide the necessary support. Our research shows that more money was spent on hospices' charity stores last year than they received from the government.
A charity shop would need to sell 5,375 pairs of jeans to fund a palliative care nurse for a year and 43,000 blouses to provide a hospice bed for a patient for the same period.
While this is evidence of the invaluable support provided by retail staff and their generous customers, charity shops should not be held responsible for filling the £60 million funding gap each year within the sector.
It is time to hold governments to account for their outdated funding models and demand that they do better for people who need end-of-life care and their loved ones.
Sarah West, UK Hospice External Affairs Director
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