Marie Curie

What Marie Curie does

Marie Curie, founded in 1948 and headquartered in London, is the UK's leading end of life charity, operating across all four UK nations with nine inpatient hospices in Belfast, Bradford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hampstead, Liverpool, Newcastle, and West Midlands, supplemented by region-wide hospice care at home services. It serves people living with terminal illness, their families and carers, healthcare professionals who refer patients, and a large base of public supporters and donors. Service recipients access care free of charge via Marie Curie Nurses, hospice admissions, a free Support Line (0800 090 2309), bereavement support, companion services, and a moderated Online Community.

The organization's digital portfolio is functional rather than technologically differentiated: a website, an online Benefits Calculator, accessible Easy Read and British Sign Language information resources, a moderated Online Community, and a Palliative Care Knowledge Zone for professionals. The Daffodil Standards program extends quality frameworks into GP practices and pharmacies. There is no disclosed proprietary AI, software platform, or technical IP beyond content libraries and the registered Marie Curie and daffodil brand marks. Professional resources are complemented by research output, including the DueCare project on unmet palliative care need and a £500,000 'Care Close to Home' research fund launched in 2026.

Marie Curie's business model is charitable and donation-led: approximately 70% of hospice services are funded by public donations, regular giving tiers (£8/£12/£23 monthly), charity shop and online retail proceeds, fundraising events such as the London Marathon and Kiltwalk, and legacy gifts, with the remaining ~30% from government/NHS commissioning. In FY2024/25 the charity raised £181.1 million, a 7% year-on-year increase, but ended the year with a planned £7 million operating deficit. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer fundraising and retail with enterprise NHS partnerships, most notably a three-year agreement with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust announced in November 2024 that co-locates Marie Curie Nurses inside Derriford Hospital and a 12-bed end-of-life unit at Mount Gould.

Name

Marie Curie

Legal name

Marie Curie

Website

https://mariecurie.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Marie Curie, founded in 1948, is the UK's leading end of life charity operating nine inpatient hospices and home-based nursing services. It serves terminally ill patients, families, and healthcare professionals through hospice care, a free Support Line, bereavement support, and accessible digital tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice and Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Other Residential Care Facilities (6239), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (62311)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051)

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Hospice / Hospice House (Facility-Based) (HLADAHAC), In-Home Hospice Nursing Visits (RN/LPN) (HSABAFAL), Volunteer & Companion Support Services (Hospice Volunteer Programs) (HSABAFAO), End-of-Life Emotional & Spiritual Support (Chaplaincy/Counseling) In-Home (HSABAFAH)

Keywords

• Palliative care services
• Hospice care
• End of life support
• Bereavement services
• Charity fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Marie Curie raises funds through public donations, regular giving programs, fundraising events (marathons, Kiltwalk), and charity collections. In 2024/25, the charity raised £181.1 million, a 7% increase from the previous year.
2. Charity Shops: Marie Curie operates charity shops selling donated and pre-loved items, with revenue supporting hospice services.
3. Online Shop: An online storefront selling curated products, with proceeds supporting end of life care services.
4. Legacies and Gifts in Wills: The charity encourages supporters to include a gift in their Will to help those who need it most.
5. Government and NHS Funding: Marie Curie receives partial government and NHS funding, though currently only about 30% of hospice services are government funded with the remainder dependent on fundraising. The charity has been advocating for increased sustainable government funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Marie Curie is the UK's leading end-of-life charity, providing expert nursing care and emotional support for people living with a terminal illness and their families. Core offerings include hospice care at home delivered by Marie Curie Nurses, nine inpatient hospices across the UK, a free telephone Support Line, an Online Community, bereavement support, and a Companion Service. Complementary services include a Benefits Calculator, accessible Easy Read and British Sign Language information resources, and professional programmes such as Daffodil Standards for GP practices.

Product overview

Marie Curie is the UK's leading end of life charity offering a comprehensive portfolio of palliative and end-of-life care services. The organization operates nine inpatient hospices across the UK (Belfast, Bradford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hampstead, Liverpool, Newcastle, and West Midlands) and provides extensive hospice care at home services delivered by Marie Curie Nurses. Additional services include a Support Line (0800 090 2309), Online Community, Telephone Bereavement Support Service, and Companion Service. The organization also provides digital tools including a Benefits Calculator, accessible Easy Read booklets and videos for people with learning disabilities, and professional resources such as the Palliative Care Knowledge Zone and Daffodil Standards program for GP practices. Services are delivered across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England through regional offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospice Care at Home Expert nursing and healthcare support delivered in the patient's own home, providing hands-on care and emotional support for people at the end of life, available through regional teams.
• Marie Curie Hospices (nine inpatient facilities) Nine inpatient hospice facilities across the UK (Belfast, Bradford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hampstead, Liverpool, Newcastle, West Midlands/Solihull) providing specialist palliative care, inpatient stays, outpatient services, and multidisciplinary clinics.
• Support Line Free telephone support service (0800 090 2309) providing practical information and emotional support, staffed by trained advisors and Information and Support Nurses, available 8am–6pm Monday–Friday and 10am–4pm Saturday–Sunday.
• Online Community A moderated digital space for people affected by terminal illness to share thoughts, feelings, and experiences, moderated by the Marie Curie Support Line team.
• Telephone Bereavement Support Service Ongoing emotional telephone support for people experiencing grief after a bereavement, delivered by trained bereavement support staff and booked via the Marie Curie website.
• Companion Service Ongoing emotional companionship from a dedicated, fully-trained volunteer who provides regular phone or in-person support for those affected by terminal illness.
• Benefits Calculator Free online tool that helps people with terminal illness find out what benefits they may be entitled to claim, including guidance on the special rules for end-of-life.
• Easy Read booklets and British Sign Language videos Accessible information resources for people with learning disabilities covering terminal illness, death, and grief, including Easy Read booklets with pictures and easy-to-understand words, and videos with British Sign Language interpretation.
• Daffodil Standards Quality improvement programme for GP practices and pharmacies to help them deliver better end of life care, providing training and standards alignment for primary care teams.
• Palliative Care Knowledge Zone Information and training resources for health and social care professionals covering symptoms, care practices, and palliative care knowledge, hosted on the Marie Curie website.
• REACT and PICT hospital partnership teams (Plymouth) Specialist hospital-based service partnership that identifies people approaching end of life, supports important conversations about preferences, and facilitates transfer to preferred care settings or home.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported over 1,200 new patients annually in Plymouth partnership alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Public Accounts Committee (UK Parliament)minorOthers · 1 March 2026The Public Accounts Committee released a report warning of a growing financial crisis in adult hospices in England, noting that Marie Curie is one of two national hospice chains running a structural operating deficit. The PAC called for immediate government action to prevent further service cuts that could deprive the NHS of broader value hospices provide.
• Silent SpaceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026A new 'Silent Space' garden opened at Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford in February 2026, created in partnership with Silent Space, a UK charity founded by Liz Ware in 2016. The garden provides a dedicated area for patients and their families to practice mindfulness and quiet reflection, featuring a mandala artwork installation created by creative practitioner Katie Shepherd.
• Welsh NHS and Government BodiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Marie Curie Cymru supported calls by Sam Rowlands MS for sustainable funding for the hospice and palliative care sector in Wales, citing rising costs, workforce shortages, and increasing demand. The palliative care system is under huge pressure with almost a fifth of hospital beds occupied by people in their last 12 months of life.
• NHS, Local Authorities, Charities, and Community GroupscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Marie Curie is calling for collective action from NHS, local authorities, charities, and community groups to transform end of life care. The charity cites its partnership with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust as a model for collaboration that introduced 20 new services last year.
• University Hospitals Plymouth NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Marie Curie entered a three-year partnership with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust in November 2024 to explore new ways to meet local end of life care needs. The partnership includes: a Healthcare Assistant in Derriford's emergency department; a Proactive Identification, Care and Transfer (PICT) team of Marie Curie Nurses; care team at Mount Gould community hospital (12 dedicated end of life care beds); and Companion services. The partnership supported over 1,200 new patients in its first year.
• Hospice Alliance (Foyle Hospice, Evora Hospice, Northern Ireland Hospice, Marie Curie NI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarie Curie NI is part of the Hospice Alliance in Northern Ireland, which has called for sustainable government funding. The Alliance warned that relying on charity to subsidise core clinical services is neither sustainable nor fair, and without appropriate funding, patients requiring specialist care will end up in overstretched hospitals. The Alliance comprises four adult/children's hospices serving approximately 13,000 patients and 30,000 community visits annually.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hospice UK: Hospice UK is the national charity for hospice and end of life care, representing over 200 hospices across the UK. While functioning as an umbrella and policy body, it directly competes with Marie Curie in research, advocacy, and shaping national standards for hospice and palliative care services.
• Sue Ryder: Sue Ryder is a UK charity providing hospice and palliative care, neurological care, and bereavement support. It is the other national hospice chain operating at scale alongside Marie Curie and offers a directly comparable portfolio of inpatient hospices, home care, and online support.
• St Christopher's Hospice: St Christopher's is a pioneering London-based hospice founded by Dame Cicely Saunders offering inpatient, home, and community palliative care. It operates a similar service model to Marie Curie hospices, with comparable research, education, and clinical care programs.

Broad incumbents

• Macmillan Cancer Support: Macmillan is the UK's largest cancer-support charity, providing information, financial guidance, and clinical nursing services. While broader in scope than Marie Curie and not exclusively focused on end of life care, it overlaps materially on palliative nursing, benefits advice, and Support Line-style services for people with terminal illness.

Regional players

• Royal Trinity Hospice: Royal Trinity Hospice is a London-based hospice offering inpatient care, hospice at home, and bereavement support. It mirrors Marie Curie's Hampstead hospice service model but serves primarily a single London geography rather than operating across all four UK nations.
• Dorothy House Hospice Care: Dorothy House is a hospice charity serving the West of England with inpatient, hospice-at-home, and family support services. It is comparable to Marie Curie's regional model (e.g., West Midlands, Bradford) and competes for NHS contracts, fundraising, and volunteers in overlapping geographies.
• Acorns Children's Hospice: Acorns operates children's hospices across the West Midlands and surrounding regions, providing palliative and end of life care. While focused on children and a more limited geography than Marie Curie's nationwide footprint, it operates a comparable hospice-based clinical service and fundraising model.

Emerging players

• Together for Short Lives: Together for Short Lives is the UK charity for children's palliative care, supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families. It overlaps with Marie Curie's mission and policy advocacy but serves a pediatric niche rather than Marie Curie's broader adult terminal illness focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mariecurieuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mariecurieuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/mariecurieuk
• Instagraminstagram.com/mariecurieuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marie-curie

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marie Curie