What Queenscourt Hospice does

Queenscourt Hospice is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 518801) founded in 1984 and opened in 1991, providing specialist palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses across West Lancashire, Southport and Formby. The organization operates an In-Patient Unit, the Queenscourt Connect outpatient service, Queenscourt in the Community (including care-home and hospital liaison), and dedicated family and carer support, taking a holistic approach that addresses physical, psychological, spiritual, and social care needs. Beyond direct care, the hospice runs the Terence Burgess Education Centre in partnership with Edge Hill University and Liverpool University to train healthcare professionals in palliative and end-of-life care.

The hospice is financed through a diversified but NHS-underwritten model: approximately 21% of funding comes from the NHS, with the remaining 79% raised through individual donations, legacy gifts, community fundraising events, corporate partnerships, seven charity shops plus an online shop and eBay store, and the Local Hospice Lottery (announced 2024-07, expected to deliver at least £1,300,000 over five years). Disclosed annual income is £5.5 million against £7.5 million of expenditure, producing a £2 million operating deficit. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, supported by a 400+ volunteer base and a 13,500-recipient quarterly newsletter.

Operationally, Queenscourt cares for over 2,000 patients annually and has supported more than 70,000 patients and families since opening. In April 2026 the hospice announced a 50% reduction in inpatient beds and in June 2026 launched a Recovery Plan under the 'Keep Queenscourt in Service' campaign, reflecting what management has described as the worst financial crisis in its 35-year history. Strategic priorities are therefore defensive: stabilizing funding, preserving core clinical services, and protecting the volunteer and retail fundraising infrastructure rather than geographic or service-line expansion.

Name

Queenscourt Hospice

Legal name

Queenscourt Hospice

Website

https://queenscourt.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Queenscourt Hospice is a UK-registered charity delivering specialist palliative and end-of-life care, including inpatient, community, and family support services, to adults with life-limiting illnesses in West Lancashire, Southport and Formby.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice & Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Home Health Care Services (6216), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Inpatient Hospice (General Inpatient Care) (HLADAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Home Hospice Nursing Visits (RN/LPN) (HSABAFAL), In-Home Hospice Physician / Nurse Practitioner Visits (HSABAFAM), Non-Hospice Serious-Illness / Community-Based Palliative Care (In-Home) (HSABAFAF), Home Hospice Agencies (HLAFAEAC), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO), Hospice Care in Assisted Living / Residential Care Facilities (HLADAHAE)

Keywords

• Palliative care services
• Specialist hospice care
• End-of-life care
• Charity retail shops
• Community fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Southport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. NHS Funding: Government funding from the NHS provides approximately 21% of the hospice's annual income, significantly below the cost of services provided.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, fundraising events, challenge events, corporate sponsorships, and legacy gifts form the largest portion of voluntary income.
3. Charity Retail: Operation of seven high street charity shops across West Lancashire, Formby and Southport, plus online shop and eBay store selling donated pre-loved items.
4. Local Hospice Lottery: Weekly lottery program in partnership with Local Hospice Lottery, offering cash prizes and generating regular income. Players pay £6 per month.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Queenscourt Hospice delivers specialist palliative care for adults with life-limiting illnesses across West Lancashire, Southport and Formby. Services span an In-Patient Unit, the Queenscourt Connect outpatient program, community-based Queenscourt at Home care, and dedicated Family and Carer Support. The hospice also runs the Terence Burgess Education Centre for healthcare professional training, supplemented by seven charity shops, an online shop and eBay store, and a Local Hospice Lottery subscription program that together fund the £3.5m+ annual community contribution required to operate services.

Product overview

Queenscourt Hospice is a charitable hospice organization providing specialist palliative care services to the people of West Lancashire, Southport, and Formby. The organization offers a range of care services including an In-Patient Unit, community-based care (Queenscourt Connect, Queenscourt In the Community), and family/carer support. Beyond direct patient care, Queenscourt operates retail operations through charity shops, an online shop, eBay store, and manages fundraising activities including challenge events, lottery programs, and corporate partnerships. The hospice also provides education and training through its Terence Burgess Education Centre. As a charitable organization receiving only 21% NHS funding, Queenscourt relies heavily on public donations, fundraising events, and retail operations to fund its services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Queenscourt Retail: The retail division of Queenscourt Hospice operating five high street charity shops plus online shop and eBay store across West Lancashire, Formby and Southport.
• Keep Queenscourt in Service

Products and services

• Queenscourt In-Patient Unit Specialist inpatient palliative care for adults with life-limiting illnesses in West Lancashire, Southport and Formby, providing intensive symptom management, pain control and end-of-life care by a multi-professional team.
• Queenscourt Connect

Quantifiable outcome

• Care for over 2,000 individual patients each year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Local Hospice LotterycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2024Queenscourt partners with Local Hospice Lottery, a weekly hospice-owned lottery set up to provide financial support to adult and children's hospices across Great Britain. All profits are donated to hospice care. Queenscourt receives between 60% and 80% of profits from individuals playing in support of Queenscourt, expected to be at least £1,300,000 over five years from July 2024. Paid fundraisers recruit new players door-to-door and at venues.
• Edge Hill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueenscourt works in partnership with Edge Hill University to deliver postgraduate academic courses and educate health students in palliative and end-of-life care principles. This educational partnership supports the hospice's mission to share specialist palliative care knowledge with healthcare professionals.
• Liverpool UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with Liverpool University for training health and social care professionals in palliative and end-of-life care. This supports the Terence Burgess Education Centre's mission to improve palliative care delivery across the region.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Hospice UK: National membership and advocacy body for UK hospices. Not a direct service peer but the umbrella organisation for hospice charities including Queenscourt, and a key policy/commissioning counterpart for the sector.
• Local Hospice Lottery: Multi-hospice lottery partnership that includes Queenscourt and is contracted to deliver at least £1.3m over five years to it. Closest ecosystem-level partner, providing recurring voluntary income infrastructure across participating hospices.

Direct peers

• Nightingale Hospice: Wrexham-based hospice providing inpatient and community palliative care across North Wales. Operates charity shops and a similar community fundraising model; directly comparable in scale and NHS funding mix.
• Trinity Hospice: Blackpool-based hospice serving a Lancashire coastal community similar to Southport. Comparable catchment demographic, NHS funding mix, retail footprint, and community fundraising model.
• St Christopher's Hospice: South London hospice founded by Dame Cicely Saunders — the same figure who advised Queenscourt's founders. Provides inpatient, home-based and outpatient palliative care; operates education programmes and charity retail; structurally and historically the closest UK analogue to Queenscourt.
• Katharine House Hospice: Staffordshire hospice providing specialist palliative care across inpatient, day hospice and community settings. Similar charity-funded model with NHS contribution and comparable patient volumes (~2,000/year).
• ellenor hospice: Kent-based hospice offering inpatient, community and outpatient palliative care plus family support. Comparable charity structure with NHS co-funding, charity retail, and lottery fundraising.
• St Joseph's Hospice: East London hospice providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings. Highly comparable community-led charity model with similar NHS co-funding structure and retail fundraising operations.

Broad incumbents

• Sue Ryder: National charity running a network of hospices, palliative care home services and charity shops across the UK. Similar multi-site palliative care delivery, retail fundraising model, and NHS partnership structure, but at much larger scale.
• Marie Curie Hospice: National UK charity operating multiple hospice sites delivering specialist palliative care, with comparable inpatient, community nursing, and fundraising operations. Larger scale and broader geographic reach than Queenscourt, but functionally and operationally similar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/QCHospice
• Facebookfacebook.com/QueenscourtHospiceSouthport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queenscourt-hospice
• Instagraminstagram.com/queenscourthospice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Queenscourt Hospice