Pilgrims Hospices
Pilgrims Hospices is a UK charity operating three inpatient hospice sites and community-based palliative, end-of-life and bereavement services for patients with life-limiting illness and their families across east Kent, funded primarily through voluntary donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersCanterbury, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pilgrims Hospices does
Pilgrims Hospices is a UK-registered charity (company limited by guarantee; charity number 293968) founded in 1982 that provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to people with life-limiting illnesses and their families across east Kent, serving an estimated population of approximately 750,000. Care is delivered through three inpatient hospice sites at Canterbury, Ashford and Thanet, supplemented by community-based Therapy Centres, a Hospice at Home service, the Stepping Stones Bereavement Support programme, and a 24/7 Advice Line accessible to patients, families and healthcare professionals. Clinical infrastructure runs on the EMIS electronic clinical records system with integration into the Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR), and a Microsoft Copilot AI pilot is in progress for internal service support under a completed Data Protection Impact Assessment. Education and training is delivered from the Ann Robertson Centre in Canterbury, including Advanced Communication Skills Training for clinicians.
All clinical services are provided completely free of charge to patients and families; Pilgrims operates on an approximately £11 million annual operating budget, with roughly 80% (£8.8M) sourced from voluntary donations, community fundraising, retail, the lottery and Gifts in Wills, and approximately 20% (£2.2M) sourced from NHS/Integrated Care Board commissioning. Revenue diversification spans 30+ charity retail shops, the Pilgrims Hospices Lottery, legacy giving, annual challenge events such as the Pilgrims Way Challenge and Ultra Challenge series, a schools and young people programme, and corporate partnerships. Marketing is community-led, combining events, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube), email and direct mail with content channels such as the After Wards blog and the THINK advance care planning campaign. Customer segments are predominantly individual patients with incurable illness and their families, complemented by referrals from NHS GPs, hospital trusts and community nurses.
Pilgrims Hospices firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Legal name
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Website
- https://pilgrimshospices.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Pilgrims Hospices is a UK charity operating three inpatient hospice sites and community-based palliative, end-of-life and bereavement services for patients with life-limiting illness and their families across east Kent, funded primarily through voluntary donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Pilgrims Hospices is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canterbury
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Pilgrims Hospices business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- NHS/Government Funding: NHS covers approximately 20% of operating budget. Clinical Commissioning Groups/Integrated Care Board fund core services.
- Voluntary Donations and Fundraising: Approximately 80% of funding comes from voluntary donations from local community. Individual giving, event participation, major donors, and corporate partnerships.
- Retail Shops: Charity shops across east Kent selling donated goods. Caring Collection service for personal possession clearance.
- Lottery: Pilgrims Hospices Lottery with weekly draws, gift vouchers, wedding favours, and scratch cards.
- Gifts in Wills: Legacy giving programme where supporters leave gifts in their wills to support future hospice care.
- Education and Training: Professional education courses and training for healthcare workers, generating some revenue while advancing palliative care knowledge.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pilgrims Way Challenge 25km route |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pilgrims Way Challenge 35km route |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pilgrims Way Challenge 55km route |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ultra Challenge events |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
Pilgrims Hospices product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pilgrims Hospices provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care for people with life-limiting illnesses across east Kent, delivered free of charge. Core services include inpatient ward care at three hospice sites (Canterbury, Ashford, Thanet), Hospice at Home community nursing, Therapy Centres delivering the Wellbeing Programme, a 24-hour Advice Line, and Stepping Stones Bereavement Support. Complementary services include education and training for healthcare professionals, a hospice lottery, charity retail shops, and community fundraising events.
Product overview
Pilgrims Hospices is a hospice charity operating as a single unified service provider rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization delivers end-of-life care through an integrated network of services spanning three hospice sites (Canterbury, Ashford, Thanet), community-based care (Hospice at Home), and a 24-hour Advice Line. Core clinical services include inpatient ward care, the Wellbeing Programme with therapy centres, and Stepping Stones Bereavement Support. Supporting infrastructure comprises Education and Training programmes for professionals, the THINK Campaign for advance care planning, and the Pilgrims Research initiative. Fundraising operations include retail shops, the Pilgrims Hospices Lottery, the Caring Collection Service, and organized events like the Pilgrims Way Challenge. An internal Pilgrims Event App supports event participants. Technology systems include EMIS for clinical records and integration with the Kent and Medway Care Record for care continuity. A Microsoft Copilot AI pilot supports internal service operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pilgrims Hospices 24-hour Advice Line Round-the-clock telephone advice line (24/7) available to patients, families and healthcare professionals for queries, signposting and referrals into Pilgrims services.
- Pilgrims Wellbeing Programme Wellbeing Programme comprising 'Feel better, do more' (wellbeing activities), 'Take time out for you' (creative programmes), 'Relax and meet others' (social programmes) and 'Plan and share future wishes' (education programmes), delivered at Pilgrims Therapy Centres.
- Therapy Centres (Wellbeing and Social Programme) Day therapy centres running group activities including therapy gym sessions, wellbeing groups and social programmes for patients with life-limiting illness.
- Hospice at Home Community nursing and support package enabling patients with life-limiting illness to be cared for and die at home if they choose, including provision of accessibility aids.
- Inpatient Ward Care Specialist inpatient palliative care beds at the three Pilgrims hospice sites in Canterbury, Ashford and Thanet for patients requiring residential hospice care.
- Stepping Stones Bereavement Support Bereavement support service for family members and friends after someone has died, offering counselling, complementary therapy and ongoing emotional support.
- Advanced Communication Skills Training Communication skills training course for healthcare professionals, using the Silverman, Kurtz and Draper model to help clinicians lead difficult conversations about end-of-life care.
- Education and Training for Healthcare Professionals Professional education and training courses for healthcare workers, delivered by the Education team at the Ann Robertson Centre in Canterbury.
- Pilgrims Hospices Lottery Weekly lottery programme with gift vouchers, wedding favours and scratch cards that generates fundraising income for hospice care.
- Retail Shops Network of more than 30 charity shops across east Kent plus an online shop, selling donated goods to raise funds for hospice services.
- Caring Collection Service Personal possession clearance service for families, carers and friends dealing with estate clearances after a death, supporting both grieving families and hospice fundraising.
- Pilgrims Event App Mobile app (iOS and Android) supporting participants of Pilgrims events with training tracking, route maps, achievement earning and JustGiving fundraising integration.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average patient stays approximately 40-41 days before death, slightly better than UK average of 40 days.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Pilgrims Hospices
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pilgrims Hospices technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability1 record
Feature1 record
Pilgrims Hospices partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR)corePilgrims Hospices is a partner organisation in the Kent and Medway Care Record, an electronic care record linking health and social care information across provider systems. This enables health and social care professionals to access up-to-date patient information for coordinated care continuity.
- NHS Trusts and Foundation TrustscoreNHS hospital trusts in east Kent (including William Harvey Hospital) refer patients to Pilgrims services. NHS funds approximately 20% of hospice operating budget through clinical commissioning groups.
- The Marlowe TheatreminorCollaborative creative workshop partnership offering patients art sessions inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet at The Marlowe Theatre.
- Mortal Made (Steven Aron Williams and Chloe Osborne)minorCommunity arts project exploring creative and communal approaches to death, dying, and grief. Includes Send Off Social Club events and Death Architecture guide development.
- Simple Kent FuneralsminorCollaboration on practical death planning education, contributing to the Death Architecture guide that helps people understand end-of-life choices and options.
- Hospice UKcoreNational hospice charity membership. Pilgrims participates in benchmarking and shares data for quality improvement purposes. Part of 'This is Hospice Care' collaboration across England, Scotland and Wales.
- This is Hospice Care CampaigncoreCollaboration with hospices across England, Scotland and Wales to protect the future of hospice care. Joint campaign and advocacy initiative.
- Waiting Room RevolutionminorCanada-based podcast collaboration. Dr. Andrew Thorns and Justine Robinson participated in virtual event discussing death, dying, and end-of-life care approaches between UK and Canada.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pilgrims Hospices competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pilgrims Hospices social profiles
Digital presencePilgrims Hospices financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pilgrims Hospices leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Pilgrims Hospices funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pilgrims Hospices M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pilgrims Hospices
What does Pilgrims Hospices do?
Pilgrims Hospices provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care for people with life-limiting illnesses across east Kent, delivered free of charge. Core services include inpatient ward care at three hospice sites (Canterbury, Ashford, Thanet), Hospice at Home community nursing, Therapy Centres delivering the Wellbeing Programme, a 24-hour Advice Line, and Stepping Stones Bereavement Support. Complementary services include education and training for healthcare professionals, a hospice lottery, charity retail shops, and community fundraising events.
Is Pilgrims Hospices a public or private company?
Pilgrims Hospices is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Pilgrims Hospices founded?
Pilgrims Hospices was founded in 1982. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Pilgrims Hospices based?
Pilgrims Hospices is headquartered in Canterbury, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pilgrims Hospices make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. NHS/Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are voluntary Donations and Fundraising, retail Shops, lottery, gifts in Wills and education and Training.
Does Pilgrims Hospices have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pilgrims Hospices.