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Hospice charities in the UK

Hospices and palliative care charities provide end-of-life care and support for patients and their families.

Quick answer

How do I compare hospice charities?

Hospice charities can support people through inpatient care, help at home and family or bereavement services. Compare the locality, age range and care model; financial scores do not measure the quality or availability of clinical care.

Start with the work

What do hospice charities do?

The same cause can involve very different services. Use these distinctions to choose what you want to support, then compare organisations doing similar work.

Inpatient and day services

A hospice may provide several forms of care with different referral criteria.

Evidence to look forCheck catchment, age range, referral and patient experience.

Hospice care at home

Home support depends on local arrangements and the needs a service can meet.

Evidence to look forAsk about coordination, hours and continuity of care.

Family and bereavement support

Support can be offered during illness or after a death.

Evidence to look forCheck who can access it, referral, waiting arrangements and feedback.

Choosing hospice charities to support

Begin with the difference you want your donation to make. A useful shortlist brings together your priorities, the charity’s actual programme and evidence you can check.

1. Match the organisation and appeal
Check the registered name, charity number and official contact details on the profile and regulator link. Confirm that the appeal and payment destination belong to that organisation. Similar names, local branches and international affiliates can represent different legal entities.
2. Read the evidence for the programme
Look for a defined goal, the people or places reached, the reporting period and what changed. Ask whether the figures count unique people, repeated contacts or activities. Read limitations and follow-up, and distinguish a charity’s own report from an independent evaluation.
3. Compare finances in context
Check the accounts year, income, expenditure, reserves where disclosed and current registration context. Research grants, direct services and campaigning have different cost structures. Missing data does not mean zero spending, and a low overhead ratio does not prove stronger results.
4. Check the terms of your gift
Establish whether a donation supports general work or a named appeal. Check restrictions, what happens if plans change and any ongoing commitment before giving. Follow a trusted official link and keep the confirmation so you can refer back to the stated terms.

How to read impact evidence Understand Clarity Scores Find practical support

Sources and selection notes

Organisation descriptions below support the attributed examples and provider information. The comparison questions are CharityCompare’s editorial guidance. Financial data comes from the dated filings identified on each profile. Read our editorial responsibilities and interests and request a sourced correction.

Financial evidence

Compare hospice charity ratings

203 currently rated matches, showing the 12 highest Clarity Scores. Ordered by financial and disclosure score, with equal scores listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking of impact. Payment never changes scores. Matches use registered names and reported activities; confirm the particular programme on each profile.

Charity	Score	Cause spend	Income	Scope
13 RIVERS TRUST	99	88%	£2.9m	UK-wide
DEMENTIA FORWARD	97	99%	£1.8m	Local
DR KERSHAW'S HOSPICE	96	83%	£6.0m	Local
THE COUNTESS OF BRECKNOCK HOSPICE TRUST	96	85%	£1.3m	Local
THE ROTHERHAM HOSPICE TRUST	96	84%	£8.4m	Local
WIGAN AND LEIGH HOSPICE	96	84%	£7.2m	Local
4LOUIS	95	84%	£1.3m	UK-wide
ARTHUR RANK HOSPICE CHARITY	95	84%	£14m	Local
DARLINGTON AND DISTRICT HOSPICE MOVEMENT	95	88%	£3.6m	Local
ST LUKE'S HOSPICE (BASILDON AND DISTRICT) LIMITED	94	95%	£16m	Local
GREENFINGERS CHARITY	93	78%	£985k	UK-wide
PETS AS THERAPY	93	82%	£957k	UK-wide

Build your own side-by-side comparison

Explore further

More hospice charity profiles

88 additional basic profiles match our registered-name search, with up to 12 shown alphabetically. These profiles do not have a Clarity Score. A name match alone does not establish relevance, service availability or effectiveness.

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Hospice charities: your questions answered

Can I choose a hospice based on its charity score?

Use financial information to understand the organisation, not to make a clinical judgement. Care suitability and access should be discussed through the provider’s published referral arrangements and relevant health professionals.

What do hospice charity ratings tell me?

CharityCompare Clarity Scores summarise financial and disclosure measures from the dated filings shown on each profile. They do not establish programme effectiveness, clinical quality or the suitability of a service for an individual. Read the accounts period, missing-data notes and regulatory context before using a score.

How are charities included in this comparison?

Rated profiles are matched against registered names and activities reported on the register; basic profiles are matched by registered name. These automated matches can miss relevant work or include a different focus. Our 203 rated matches and 88 additional basic matches are not an official UK-wide count. Check each charity’s actual activities.