This is the message from Paul Brinsley, chief executive of Cornwall Hospice Care, who said the support it receives is in “stark contrast” to hospice charities elsewhere in England.

He was speaking following a recent debate in the House of Lords, which considered the question: “Lord Farmer (Conservative) to ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to review how the state funds hospices.”

The Lords were told that the hospice sector had reported that it was under financial pressure, with an estimated shortfall of £60 million in the current financial year – and that with hospices in the UK receiving around a third of their funding from government, with the rest (more than £1 billion a year) raised by hospices themselves, there had been calls for this funding model to be reviewed.

However, Mr Brinsley said the situation in Cornwall was in fact even worse than reported in the debate.

Cornwall’s hospices, Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell and St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle, actually receive only 9.5% of its funds from the government.

Cornwall Hospice Care chief executive Paul Brinsley has spoken about the funding situation (Image: Cornwall Hospice Care) The chief executive said: “Providing free end of life care to the community of Cornwall is a privilege, but it’s a precarious one.

“Just 9.5% of our income is supported by government money through a grant from the NHS Integrated Care Board.  This is in stark contrast to the 30+% received by hospice charities elsewhere in the country and which is the figure being reported at present.

“Despite this huge monetary challenge, we’re continuing to keep all 20 of our hospice beds at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell and St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle, open.

“We’re also maintaining our vital bereavement services and our Lymphoedema clinics that saw a 28% increase in appointments in the last financial year.   We don’t charge for any of the support we give.”

Cornwall Hospice Care has been providing support to end of life patients, their carers, families and friends for nearly 45 years, and Mr Brinsley said this was thanks to the “ongoing and very generous support” of the Cornish community.

“I would like to pay tribute to the community of Cornwall who helped us provide the very first hospice in the county back in 1980 and who have stood by us ever since then.

“The economic challenges we now face following the recent budget are massive, but if we stick together we can continue to make every day matter in the county we call home.

“Just remember, every patient cared for at the end of their life and every grieving person we support is helped thanks to someone in Cornwall doing something special like holding a coffee morning, taking part in a darts competition, cycling or running,” he added.

Hospice UK has calculated that it costs £1.6 billion each year to run hospices in the UK, but it said it received less than £0.5 billion from the government and raised the remaining £1.1bn themselves.

In contrast, palliative and end of life care delivered through the NHS is fully state-funded.