Hospice of the Good Shepherd

What Hospice of the Good Shepherd does

Hospice of the Good Shepherd is a registered UK charity (Charity Number 515516, Company Number 01843427) delivering free specialist palliative and end-of-life care to patients with life-limiting illnesses across Chester, West Cheshire, parts of South Wirral and the Deeside area of Wales. The organisation operates a 12-bed inpatient unit at its Backford, Chester headquarters, supplemented by the Living Well outpatient centre, family support and bereavement services (including the Reflect childhood bereavement service), community home-based nursing, complementary therapy and day therapy clinics. Clinical services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission, and the hospice is led by Chief Executive Dr Richard Soulsby (appointed May 2026) with a Board of Trustees chaired by Yvonne Emmett Cannell.

The hospice is funded through a hybrid income model in which approximately 25% of running costs come from NHS/government sources and 75% must be generated independently through charitable activity, equating to over £7,000 of fundraising need per day. Income streams include individual donations, corporate partnerships, community fundraising events (Sparkle Walk, Chester Half Marathon, Hospice Strictly, Colour Run), gifts in wills, a regulated weekly lottery (£1 per entry, 33 weekly prizes, top prize £1,000) operated through wholly-owned subsidiary Hospice of the Good Shepherd Promotions Ltd under Gambling Commission account 5134, and a retail operation comprising physical charity shops (including the Chester city centre location at 22 Frodsham Street) plus an e-commerce presence on eBay and Depop, supported by an Ellesmere Port furniture warehouse. Youth engagement is delivered through the Young Ambassador Programme partnered with 27 local schools (85 students). The organisation employs between 251-500 people inclusive of community volunteers, with paid staff including clinical, retail, fundraising, lottery, finance and quality functions.

Operationally, the hospice pursues a community-led go-to-market model relying on volunteer recruitment, donor relationships and event-driven fundraising rather than sales or marketing-driven B2B acquisition. Patients receive all care at no charge, and there is no proprietary technology stack or AI/ML capability disclosed in the input; the business is fundamentally people-and-place-intensive rather than technology-intensive.

Name

Hospice of the Good Shepherd

Legal name

Hospice of the Good Shepherd

Website

https://hospiceofthegoodshepherd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hospice of the Good Shepherd is a UK registered charity providing free specialist palliative care, including a 12-bed inpatient unit, Living Well outpatient services and bereavement support, to patients with life-limiting illnesses across Chester, West Cheshire, South Wirral and Deeside, funded by donations, NHS grants, a regulated lottery and charity retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice & Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hospice Care in Assisted Living / Residential Care Facilities (HLADAHAE), Non-Hospice Serious-Illness / Community-Based Palliative Care (In-Home) (HSABAFAF), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Palliative care services
• Hospice care
• End-of-life care
• Bereavement support
• Charity healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations & Fundraising: Approximately 75% of running costs must be raised from individual and corporate donations, fundraising events, gifts in wills (bequests and legacies), and shop sales. The hospice needs over £7,000 every single day to keep running.
2. Lottery: Weekly lottery program - £1 per week for chance to win 33 weekly prizes with top prize of £1,000. With 68p of every pound going directly towards patient care.
3. Retail (Charity Shops): Physical charity shops and online retail via eBay and Depop selling donated goods. Warehouse operations in Ellesmere Port sort and prepare stock for sale.
4. Government/NHS Funding: Only about one-quarter (25%) of running costs come from government sources via NHS.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hospice of the Good Shepherd provides free-of-charge specialist palliative and end-of-life care through a 12-bed inpatient unit, Living Well outpatient services, outpatient clinics, and community-based home nursing. Care is delivered to people with life-limiting illnesses, especially cancer, with supplementary services including family support, adult and childhood bereavement (Reflect Service), respite care, and complementary therapies. Approximately 75% of operating costs (over £7,000 per day) are funded through individual donations, corporate fundraising, gifts in wills, a weekly lottery, and charity retail operations.

Product overview

The Hospice of the Good Shepherd is a charitable hospice providing specialist palliative care services through a combination of inpatient, outpatient, and community-based care programs. The organization operates a 12-bed inpatient unit alongside outpatient services including the Living Well Centre, Medical Outpatients, and Family Support Services. Fundraising activities including a weekly lottery, retail charity shops (with e-commerce via eBay and Depop), and various events generate approximately 75% of operating costs, with services provided free of charge to patients. The hospice serves Chester, West Cheshire, part of South Wirral, and the Deeside area of Wales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hospice of the Good Shepherd Promotions Ltd: Subsidiary company handling lottery operations, licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission under account number 5134.
• Living Well Centre / Living Well Service
• The Reflect Service

Products and services

• Inpatient Services Dignified and compassionate palliative care provided within the hospice's 12-bed inpatient unit, offering 24-hour specialist care for patients with life-limiting illnesses, particularly cancer. Provided free of charge.
• Living Well Service Outpatient support helping patients and carers to live well with life-limiting illness, providing support and therapies to enhance quality of life. Provided free of charge.
• Outpatient Services Quality outpatient care provided free of charge, including outpatient clinics and day therapy facilities for patients with life-limiting illnesses.
• Family Support and Bereavement Services Bereavement support services including the Reflect Service for childhood bereavement, providing emotional support to families and loved ones of patients, plus respite care for carers.
• Community Home Care Services Support for patients and families in their own homes delivered with the help of hospice community nurses, extending hospice care beyond the inpatient setting.
• Complementary Therapy Additional therapeutic services such as reflexology provided to patients to enhance comfort and wellbeing alongside medical treatment.
• Hospice Lottery Weekly lottery program where players contribute £1 per week for the chance to win one of 33 weekly prizes, with a top prize of £1,000. Approximately 68p of every pound goes directly towards patient care.
• Charity Retail Shops Physical and online charity shops selling donated goods, playing a key role in fundraising to support free-of-charge hospice care. Includes furniture collection services and e-commerce operations via eBay and Depop.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Schools (27 schools participating)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Young Ambassador Programme - partnership with local primary and secondary schools to educate students about hospice care and raise awareness. 85 students from 27 schools participated. Schools run fundraising activities like festive fun runs raising £35,856.
• Belgrave Lodge 5711 (Chester Freemasons)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 June 2025Chester masonic lodge donated £500 to the hospice from charity funds in memory of a lodge member's wife. Combined with individual contributions and Cheshire Freemasons Charity enhancement of £216, resulted in a £1,075 donation.
• Chester ZoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChair of Trustees Yvonne Emmett Cannell also sits on the board of Chester Zoo, indicating a potential strategic connection between the hospice and the zoo.
• Cheshire Freemasons CharityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided £216 enhancement to a donation from Belgrave Lodge 5711, resulting in a £1,075 total donation to the hospice.
• NHS Healthcare ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe hospice works with local NHS trusts including Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Countess of Chester Hospital, and Liverpool University Hospitals. Student nurses from NHS-funded programs do placements at the hospice.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• East Cheshire Hospice: Independent hospice charity covering East Cheshire with a similar inpatient/outpatient/community care model and a comparable ~25% NHS / ~75% voluntary funding mix. Comparable scale, demographic, and fundraising mechanics.
• St Luke's Hospice (Cheshire): Mid-sized independent hospice charity serving a neighbouring Cheshire catchment with inpatient, outpatient, and community palliative care. Directly comparable size, funding mix, and service portfolio to HGS, and a primary regional competitor for donor pounds in the North West.
• Katharine House Hospice: Independent UK adult hospice charity in Stafford, previously led by the new HGS CEO for 27 years. Operates a similar model: inpatient beds, Living Well services, community nursing, charity shops, and lottery, on a comparable regional catchment basis.
• Wirral Hospice St John's: Independent adult hospice serving the Wirral peninsula, directly bordering HGS's South Wirral catchment. Operates inpatient beds, outpatient wellbeing services, bereavement support, and a lottery/retail fundraising arm, making it a near-perfect operational and competitive comparable.
• Douglas Macmillan Hospice: Large independent hospice in Stoke-on-Trent providing specialist palliative and bereavement care across North Staffordshire, with comparable inpatient/outpatient/community service mix and lottery-driven fundraising arm.
• Nightingale House Hospice: Independent hospice in Wrexham, North Wales, serving a catchment that overlaps with HGS's Deeside reach. Comparable service portfolio, NHS funding share, and community-led fundraising model, with both competing for similar donor demographics along the England-Wales border.

Others

• Hospice UK: National umbrella and membership body for UK hospices, providing advocacy, training, and sector benchmarking. Not a direct competitor; relevant as an enabler and comparator for fundraising performance, CQC benchmarking, and policy risk for adult hospices like HGS.
• Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust: Major NHS oncology and palliative care provider covering Cheshire, Merseyside, and the Isle of Man, and a key NHS partner and potential commissioning counterpart for HGS. Indirectly comparable as a source of patient referrals and a system-level competitor for NHS palliative commissioning.

Broad incumbents

• Sue Ryder: National UK charity running palliative care hospices, homecare services, and a large network of charity shops. Directly comparable service lines (inpatient hospice, community palliative, retail) but operates as a multi-site national incumbent rather than a single-site regional charity.
• Marie Curie UK: UK's largest charitable provider of palliative and end-of-life care, with a national network of hospices, a large nursing service, and a substantial fundraising/lottery operation. Overlaps HGS on hospice services and the weekly charity lottery model but at materially greater scale and brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HospiceGS
• Facebookfacebook.com/HospiceGS
• Instagraminstagram.com/hospice_gs
• TikToktiktok.com/@hospicegs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hospice-of-the-good-shepherd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Hospice of the Good Shepherd