KEMP Hospice is based in the heart of the Wyre Forest and offers care and support services to people across the region. But do you know what KEMP Hospice does? The team at the Kidderminster hospice hear a lot of assumptions about who they are and what they do, so they’ve put together a short myth-buster to help you learn more about who they are and how they support the community…
Think you know KEMP Hospice?
At KEMP Hospice, it’s our mission to provide free holistic palliative care and support to people living with a progressive life-limiting illness. Providing support to adults, children and young people affected by bereavement…but what does that mean?
If you’ve never had the need to experience hospice care or our bereavement support, we understand that you might not be familiar with who we are or what we do. Below are some of the common myths we hear and the truth behind the myth…
Myth – “KEMP is a Hospice, so it’s funded by the NHS.”
The truth: As a hospice, we must raise around 80% of the funds needed to continue to provide our services each year. That’s around £1.9m. These funds come from your kind donations, applications for grants, trusts and philanthropists, people who take part in our events and fundraise, and through sales in our shops. The remaining 20% is from government funding which we apply for each year and is never guaranteed.
Myth – “I recently experienced a bereavement, but I can’t get counselling at KEMP Hospice because the person who died didn’t attend KEMP Day Hospice.”
The truth: Bereavement support including counselling for Adults and Young People, and Emotional Support for Children is available to anyone in the Wyre Forest who has experienced a bereavement in the last 3 years. You do not need an existing connection to KEMP Hospice. You can be referred by your health professional, or you can make a referral for yourself via our website.
Myth – “KEMP Hospice can only help people who are in the final few days of their life.”
The truth: It’s a common misconception that KEMP (or any hospice) is a place you go to die. Our Care Services team help people to live as well as they can for as long as they can. They will do everything they can to provide support, whether that’s activities in our Day Hospice, liaising with your GP or accessing adaptations for your home.
Many of our patients tell us when they come to KEMP Hospice, they can be themselves. Walking through the door to the hospice means they can leave everything behind, even just for a little while.
Our specialist care is led by highly skilled trained nurses, specialist therapists and practitioners who provide support through one-to-one clinics and in groups settings.
Myth – “You have to pay for services at KEMP Hospice.”
The truth: We never charge a penny for our services. This includes KEMP Day Hospice, Hospice at Home, Counselling and Emotional Support and Welfare & Financial Advice.
So that’s our hospice care, but what about our shops.
We have seven retail outlets around the Wyre Forest and in 2025 we had 28,025 boxes and/or bags generously donated to KEMP Hospice shops. This is incredible and helps us raise the funds we need each year to continue to offer our services free of charge. But what are some of the common misconceptions we hear about our charity shops:
Myth – “It’s a charity shop, if you reduce your prices, you will sell more.”
The truth: We have a responsibility to the donor to raise as much as possible from their donations. They want us to make money for the hospice and will give their items to other charities if the items are sold too cheap. We have a responsibility to our patients and clients to raise as much from the donations as possible to be able to deliver our services at no cost to them.
Myth – “My items are not in very good condition, but somebody will buy it.”
The truth: Poor quality and worn out/damaged or dirty donations can’t be sold. Any clothing we cannot sell becomes commercial waste and is a cost to KEMP Hospice to dispose of. When you’re thinking of donating your pre-loved items remember, “If you would buy it, we can sell it.”
So now you understand more about who we and what we do, we want you to know that at KEMP we understand, we care and when life changes, we are here.
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If you’d like to learn more about KEMP Hospice, how they could support you or how you could support them, visit their website www.kemphospice.org.uk. You can also call the team on 01562 756000 or email info@kemphospice.org.uk.
