Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, established in 1989 through a major 1980s community fundraising campaign, is Buckinghamshire's only dedicated bedded hospice unit, providing free palliative and end-of-life care to patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families across Buckinghamshire and bordering areas of Oxfordshire and south Bedfordshire. Guided by core values of compassion, dignity, responsiveness, and respect for individual needs, it complements NHS services with innovative, community-based support, emphasizing holistic care that enhances clinical excellence, emotional wellbeing, and family time through its theory of change focused on transforming end-of-life experiences.

The charity funds core hospice operations, service development, equipment, and projects directly benefiting patients and carers, including the Children's Hospice at Home, Day Hospice, Lymphoedema Service, inpatient nursing, Nightingale 24/7 helpline, community palliative care nurses, bereavement support, and events like the annual Tree of Light. Priorities target adults, children facing terminal illnesses, respite needs, and their relatives, with all activities delivered internally or via pre-identified NHS and healthcare partnerships to ensure local accessibility and sustainability.

It does not accept unsolicited grant applications from external organizations—funding is allocated internally or through established collaborations, with no public grant rounds, deadlines, typical amounts, income thresholds, or entity restrictions specified. This community-driven model, reliant on public donations and distinguished by its unique regional role, governance for vulnerable beneficiaries, and integration with public health, sets it apart as a trusted provider rather than an open funder for other charities.