Write to your local MP today

You can help The Kirkwood today by writing a letter to your local MP.

With the hospice sector in financial crisis across the country, The Kirkwood is facing a number of significant challenges. With more and more demand for our services than ever, the cost of caring for patients and families has skyrocketed over the past few years. Just 25 percent of The Kirkwood’s funding comes from the NHS, and we rely on the generosity of the general public to fund the majority of our services. But the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has had a huge impact on supporters’ ability to donate, volunteer and support the hospice’s fundraising campaigns.

We continue to lobby our partners in the NHS, locally, regionally and nationally for a better balance between voluntary fundraising raised by our supporters and the statutory funding we currently receive. Despite positive conversations with NHS commissioners, they are currently unable to offer any additional support.

You can help us today by writing to your local MP to let them know about the scale of the crisis facing The Kirkwood and ask them to advocate for a fairer share of funding from the govenrment for hospices. It only takes a few minutes and we've put together a handy guide below to make it really simple.

Write to your MP using our three easy steps:

Copy and paste the email template below into a new email.
Use the UK Parliament website to find your local MP and their email address. We’ve also included a list below.
Send the email to your local MP (or send a letter in the post if you prefer). If you’d prefer to write your own letter to highlight the challenges facing The Kirkwood, you are more than welcome to do so.

This is your opportunity to become part of a national conversation and a call for change so we can continue caring for local families who need us.

Email template for you to send to your MP

Dear (insert name of your local MP),

I’m a supporter of The Kirkwood, a charity delivering essential palliative and end of life care to local people across Kirklees. I am deeply concerned to hear that the vital hospice services they provide for people affected by life limiting illnesses will need to be reduced because their income is not rising in line with the growing need for their services locally.

The Kirkwood recently announced they need to reduce their annual costs by £1.7m to put their finances back on a sustainable footing. This will mean reducing the range of services they can offer in Kirklees. Ultimately, the number of patients they will be able to care for will reduce drastically.

This will mean less specialist palliative care and support at home and in the community to help patients manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. It is also likely that The Kirkwood will need to reduce the number of beds available in its In-Patient Unit. This is a critical blow, meaning fewer local people will have access to the specialist, personalised care they deserve as they approach the end of their lives.

A reality without hospices like The Kirkwood is unthinkable, but the future of our local hospice is more uncertain than ever.

Caring for patients is becoming increasingly expensive for The Kirkwood. They are facing higher costs for things like salaries, utility bills and providing the increasingly complex care that many of our patients need. The rise in the National Living Wage from April 2025 and the recent budget announcement regarding the increase in National Insurance contributions for employers will add further pressure. The Kirkwood estimate an additional £400,000 in yearly costs as a result.

I understand that the recent announcement of £100 million in additional funding for hospices is welcomed by the Hospice sector, but it is restricted to capital spend and it cannot be used to support The Kirkwood’s day to day running costs.

Only around 25% of The Kirkwood’s funding comes from the government via the NHS. They continue to lobby the NHS, locally, regionally and nationally for a better balance between voluntary fundraising raised by supporters and the statutory funding they currently receive, but despite positive conversations with NHS commissioners, they haven’t offered any additional financial support.

Reduced hospice services here in Kirklees will mean tough decisions about who can access care, potentially leaving more people without the specialised support they deserve. Families might struggle to manage a loved one’s pain at home, and patients could miss out on emotional support during their final days. The knock-on effect on already overstretched NHS services would be catastrophic, depriving people of the chance for a good death, surrounded by loved ones in their chosen environment.

I am urging you to put your weight behind the call for a more sustainable funding model for hospices like The Kirkwood. We simply cannot stand by and let our hospice face this crisis alone. Your advocacy can make a real difference.

Thank you for your attention,

Find your local MP

Colne Valley: Paul Davies MP: paul.davies.mp@parliament.uk

Dewsbury and Batley: Iqbal Mohamed MP: iqbal.mohamed.mp@parliament.uk

Huddersfield: Harpreet Uppal MP: harpreet.uppal.mp@parliament.uk

Spen Valley: Kim Leadbeater MP: kim.leadbeater.mp@parliament.uk

Ossett and Denby Dale: Jade Boterill MP: jade.botterill.mp@parliament.uk

If your local MP isn’t in this list, you can find yours on the UK Parliament website.

Need clinical advice?
Call our advice line on:

01484 557910

24 hrs a day