The rise of the commercial hospice

Charity: St Helena Hospice

 Our commitment to compassionate, personalised care remains, but with ever-growing costs, it is essential to seek innovative ways to secure funding.

To that end, we have launched several social enterprises.

Our vision

Our vision is of ‘Embracing Change and Inspiring Care’, and one of the key pillars of our strategy is to be commercially disciplined and enterprising. By exploring new business models, we can enhance the quality of care provided while securing the financial sustainability of our services.

St Helena’s operational costs total an astounding £20 million annually, and while we receive valuable support from the NHS, this grant only covers around 20% of our total expenses. The shortfall requires us to be proactive in identifying and developing alternative revenue streams, moving beyond traditional charity fundraising. This is where our newly established commercial enterprises come into play, offering unique services with the common goal of generating profits to support the hospice.

What is available?

We now operate a total of three franchises – our care agency, Radfield Home Care, in support of St Helena, along with two under our commercial branch: Total Clean and Creation Station.

Each of these franchises contributes its profits directly to the charity, ensuring that the revenue generated helps provide palliative and end-of-life care to those who need it.

• Total Clean is setting a high standard in the world of corporate cleaning. Operating across Essex and Suffolk, it offers businesses a top-tier cleaning service with an emphasis on quality, corporate social responsibility, and outstanding customer care. By partnering with local businesses, we offer them not only an excellent service but also a way to support the hospice and the wider community through their cleaning needs.

• Creation Station is an award-winning arts and crafts business based in Colchester. It provides a diverse range of creative experiences for people of all ages – from after-school clubs and holiday camps for children, to sip-and-paint evenings for adults. We also cater for team-building events and corporate workshops, giving businesses an opportunity to blend creativity with professional development.

A new chapter

In embracing the new social enterprise model, St Helena is entering a new chapter. We are committed to ensuring that every person in northeast Essex can access compassionate, high-quality care at the end of life, without compromise. As we look toward the future, the revenue generated by our commercial ventures will play a pivotal role in helping us achieve this goal, while providing valuable services that meet the needs of our community. Together, with the support of local businesses and individuals, St Helena Hospice is evolving – embracing change while remaining steadfast in our mission to inspire care.