The best UK hospice charities
Behind every hand held at the end of life and every family supported through grief is someone who stays close: the nurses, volunteers and counsellors who make sure nobody faces the end alone. It's gentle, patient work, and it brings comfort when it matters most.
Four charities, each brilliant at a different part of the job.
Rather than a ranked list, we've picked a range of charities, so together they cover more than any one could alone.
Marie Curie
- Care at Home
- Hospice Care
- Support Line
Marie Curie began in 1948, when members of the committee rebuilding a bomb-damaged London hospital set up a charity to carry on Marie Curie's name. Today it's the UK's leading end of life charity, giving free expert care to people with any terminal illness, at home and in its hospices, day and night. Its free Support Line and Companion volunteers are there for families too. Whatever the illness, wherever you are, it's with you to the end.
Key stats
- People cared for in their own homes
- 31,790
- People cared for in its hospices
- 7,978
- Support Line contacts answered
- 21,655
- Households visited by Companion volunteers
- 2,024
Why we've included them
Marie Curie provides free, expert care for people with any terminal illness, at home and in its hospices, day and night. Its Support Line and Companion volunteers are there for families too.
Registered Charity: 207994
Visit Marie Curie
Sue Ryder
- Palliative Care
- Hospice at Home
- Bereavement Support
The first Sue Ryder home opened in 1952 in her mother's house in Cavendish, Suffolk, and its first patients were survivors of the concentration camps. Today its hospices and Hospice at Home teams give expert palliative and end of life care, with telephone support around the clock. Its Online Bereavement Community and Grief Guide help people through grief, wherever they are. It offers hope, dignity and kindness at the hardest of times.
Key stats
- Hours of palliative and end of life care
- 657,000+
- Visits by its Hospice at Home and community teams
- 58,000+
- Online Bereavement Community members
- 48,424
- Surveyed members who felt less alone
- 73%
Source: Sue Ryder Annual Report 2025-26
Why we've included them
Sue Ryder's place in the four is grief support: it stays alongside people through terminal illness, death and the grief that follows. Its Online Bereavement Community and Grief Guide mean support carries on after a loss, wherever people are.
Registered Charity: 1052076
Visit Sue Ryder
Hospice UK
- Supporting Hospices
- Staff Training
- Dying Matters
Hospice UK began in 1984 as Help the Hospices, and today it's the national charity for hospice and end of life care. It represents the UK's community of hospices caring for adults and children, funding their staff to train, sharing expertise and campaigning for the support they need. Its Dying Matters campaign helps people talk openly about death and plan ahead. It's the steady support behind the local hospice in your community.
Key stats
- Hospices it represents across the UK
- 200+
- People UK hospices care for each year
- 310,000
- Loved ones given bereavement support
- 90,000
- Hospice staff funded to train
- 600+
Source: Hospice UK Annual Report 2024/25
Why we've included them
Hospice UK is the backbone behind more than 200 hospices across the UK, supporting them through training, shared expertise and campaigning. Its work strengthens the local hospice in your community, so the whole hospice movement grows stronger at once.
Registered Charity: 1014851
Visit Hospice UK
Together for Short Lives
- Children's Palliative Care
- Family Support
- Hospices
Together for Short Lives formed in 2011, when ACT and Children's Hospices UK came together as one voice for children's palliative care. Today it's the leading UK-wide charity for children living with serious illness and their families. Its Family Support Hub helps parents with everything from emotional support to energy bills, and it champions the UK's children's hospices. It makes sure no family has to find their way alone.
Key stats
- Families supported by its Family Support Hub
- 1,200+
- UK children's hospices it supports
- 53
- Families given one-to-one energy advice
- 450+
- Families' wishes granted with Make-A-Wish
- 275
Why we've included them
Together for Short Lives champions children's palliative care, supporting seriously ill children and their families across the UK. Its Family Support Hub helps parents with everything from emotional support to energy bills.
Registered Charity: 1144022
Visit Together for Short Lives
Four amazing hospice charities. Why choose just one?
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