Roly champions hospice care during national awareness week

A Rennie Grove Peace patient is sharing his experience of hospice care to coincide with Hospice Care Week (5-11 October 2026) – a national campaign to champion the work of hospices everywhere.

Roly Buxton-Hill from London Colney has been supported by Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care since January 2024 and has used a range of services from Hospice at Home care to outpatient clinics and emotional support.  

Roly, who is living with stage four liver disease, was first referred to the charity following a long hospital stay. Roly’s wife, Caroline, recalls: 

“Roly’s time in hospital was very difficult for both of us. To have the Rennie Grove Peace nurses supporting him once he came home made a huge difference. He was still experiencing a lot of pain and they were just wonderful at getting that under control. They became like part of the family. We could talk to them about anything and bring any of our worries or concerns to them.” 

Once Roly’s health stabilised, he was discharged from the Hospice at Home service, with the reassurance that the support would be available again, if and when he needed it. 

Since then, he has attended a specialist nurse clinic, received support to plan ahead through an Advance Care Planning course, and participated in the charity’s eight-week Living Well programme, which has helped him to maintain his independence and quality of life. 

Roly explains:  

“The Living Well programme was great. I would describe it as a very empowering experience. The staff were wonderful. The course was really informative and I learned a lot about myself while I was there. It really helped me to establish the best ways to go forward, for as long as I can.”

The theme of this year’s national Hospice Care Week campaign is ‘don’t leave hospice care to chance’, to highlight the gap between government funding and the cost to hospices of meeting rising patient demand.  

As a charity Rennie Grove Peace receives only 16% of its funding from statutory sources. The other 84% of the cost of running its services is raised by the local community.  

This October, we’re is encouraging local people not to leave hospice care to chance by taking part in our new Time for Tea fundraising campaign. By organising a tea party, coffee morning, or break time get-together this month, local people can share a cuppa and a slice of cake with the people around them while raising money to support local hospice care so it isn’t left to chance.