Wiltshire hospice has seen costs rise by £6,000 a day in just three years
Watch staff and patients at Dorothy House Hospice Care speak to ITV News' Ben McGrail
An end-of-life care charity in Wiltshire says it's facing a major funding crisis having seen costs rise by £6,000 a day in the past three years.
Staff at Dorothy House Hospice Care say the specialist work it provides in the community is under threat without a remedy for its the financial gap.
The hospice - based in Winsley near Bradford-on-Avon - offers palliative and end-of-life care for its patients.
Michael Perkins has been fighting cancer for 16 years and with his health declining in the past year, he can’t praise Dorothy House enough.
He said: "I can’t believe, this is like the first time in my life, I’ve always been the one to do things - to help others.
"I couldn’t get used to pressing a bell and people coming to help me.
"The care here is something else. They really are good. I can’t thank them enough.
"I suppose I’m being selfish, but for someone who’s about to die, you want to die nicely and with as much respect and dignity as possible.
"The only way that can be done is by raising money. We’ve just got to keep going, hoping there’s more and more kind-hearted people out there just willing to just give us a little bit more help."
The hospice is calling on the government to increase funding.
Rising costs, National Insurance and minimum wage hikes, alongside government funding at 20% of total costs, has had a major impact on the financial sustainability of the hospice.
Wayne de Leeuw, Chief Executive of Dorothy House Hospice Care, said: “We urgently need the support of our community.
"The government to ensure we continue offering the specialist care and support that our patients and their families deserve.
"No one should face death alone and yet this financial gap places huge pressure on our workforce to make difficult decisions about who can receive our care, at a time when we want everyone to have equal access to our specialist support.
"Last year Dorothy House cared for more than 3,000 patients and 1,000 loved ones completely free of charge.
"We have done this in the face of enormous funding adversity because it is the right thing to do, but now, more than ever, we need help to ensure people can die with dignity."
Over the past three years, the cost of running the hospice has risen from £46,000 a day to £52,000 a day.
The hospice says the number of people needing specialist end of life care is predicted to rise by 25% by 2048.
The charity has launched its 'Together in Adversity' appeal, saying it is "appealing to anyone who will one day need its services to donate, support its upcoming fundraising events and write to their local MP to secure a national settlement that meets the increasing demands of an ageing population."