There are many brilliant organisations and charities in Chesterfield that make me proud of our town and the work they do, but Ashgate Hospice is one that I hold particularly dear – a feeling that I know is shared by my constituents.

Almost everyone in Chesterfield has had cause to be thankful to Ashgate Hospice for their care of a friend or family member. It is a really important charity that holds a special place in the heart of Chesterfield.

Charitable hospices care for 300,000 people each year and help people live as fully and as well as they can to the end of their lives, however long that may be. This year, Ashgate Hospice will provide specialist palliative and end of life care for over 2,400 people across North Derbyshire.  Palliative care is, of course, also delivered in hospitals, but hospitals cannot deliver this care in the same way that hospices can.

Hospices receive an average of just a third of their funding from government, via the NHS, and are reliant upon fundraising for the rest. For example, Ashgate Hospice only receive 31% of our funding from the NHS, which is around £5 million. This leaves a gap of £11 million, which must be covered by our local community through fundraising events or by those who shop at our shops or coffee shops.

The contribution from government fell dramatically in the last 14 years and I will be pushing the new government to start the process of addressing this rising burden on hospices.

Rising costs over several years mean hospices have faced growing financial pressures, and fundraising has become more difficult, partly due to the cost-of-living crisis, but also as fundraising dropped off during the pandemic and has never fully recovered. I have been contacted by many of my constituents who are rightly concerned about funding pressures that many hospices are facing, and I met with Barbara-Anne Walker, Chief Executive at Ashgate Hospice, recently to discuss their situation.

I will be making the case to the new Labour Government to review the funding model for hospices and increase support but I think it is vital that hospices remain charities and do not simply become part of the NHS.

The care provided by facilities like Ashgate Hospice is personalised and works better with individuals and families to ensure everyone receives the support that person needs. Staff can take more time with each patient, in a way that is not always possible in a hospital setting. And you get the gardens and setting that the NHS estate doesn’t have. If hospices became part of the NHS, then they would be competing for funds, space and staff with all the other services. We should improve support and funding through the NHS, but ensure hospices remain independent, charitable organisations who have the freedom to create the individualised care provision that makes them so effective.

Thankfully, staff at Ashgate Hospice are experts in fundraising. I was delighted to join their annual Sparkle Walk this year – an amazing event that saw 3,400 people take on a 10km sponsored walk at night, raising £341,854for the hospice. I also raised £250 for the Hospice through my annual charity bet on the Grand National.

I’ll do what I can in Parliament to support our hospices, and I hope everyone in Chesterfield will do what they can to support Ashgate Hospice, a vital and brilliant servant to our town and surrounding areas.