HOSPICE & PALLIATIVE CARE BLOG

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales found “kind, dignified and person-centred care” at Skanda Vale Hospice. Here’s the report, and why it matters now.

Three retired nurses. Three different routes into volunteering at a hospice in West Wales. One thing in common: they still get to do the bit they always loved.

Learn how a volunteer-led model has enabled Skanda Vale Hospice to expand during a funding crisis.

From picking out treasures to patience and warmth, you’ll gain these 5 skills from volunteering in a charity shop.

Volunteering in healthcare is one of those rare things that feels small in the moment—helping someone wash their hands, making sure they’re comfortable, listening properly—but somehow adds up to something quietly transformative. People come to it for all sorts of reasons: a clinical background they want to use differently, a desire to reconnect with the…

Hospice volunteers offer time, attention and presence to people with life-limiting illness. Here’s why it matters.

Volunteers play an essential part in how patients and families experience care during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.  Their contribution isn’t limited to one task or one type of role – some volunteers spend time directly with patients, offering steady companionship or assisting the nursing team. Others work quietly behind the…

Discover how volunteering as a nurse can make a difference in your community, your career and your life.

Finding volunteer work in your local community can be one of the most rewarding decisions you make. And, for nearly 1 in 2 of us, the reason we volunteer is to offer our help to others and to play a part in improving things. If you’ve decided to volunteer in your local community, but are…

Hospices play a vital role in providing compassionate care for individuals facing life-limiting illnesses, creating space for what matters during their final stages of life.  While we often associate them with comfort, dignity, and holistic care, the financial challenges hospices face in delivering these services are often less visible. This raises a key issue: How…

Published on 01/07/25 & Updated on 15/12/25While many people associate hospice care with end-of-life support, the reality is that hospice care can offer profound benefits much earlier in the journey. From the point of diagnosis, hospice care can significantly improve the quality of life for both patients and their families through compassionate expertise and support,…

At Skanda Vale Hospice, volunteers are the heart of everything we do. They’re the friendly face that greets you at the door, the listening ear beside the bed, the hands that prepare a warm meal, and the quiet presence keeping our spaces safe, beautiful, and serene. Volunteering isn’t about filling gaps or ticking boxes; it’s…

When many people hear the term ‘hospice’, they picture an emotional bedside farewell to a loved one with a life-limiting condition, someone who was told they only had days, or maybe hours to live. But that’s only part of the story. Hospice care is so much more than many people realise; it’s a place where…

Published on 14/05/2025 & Updated on 25/11/2025 As our volunteers will tell you, being around the kindness of others is inspiring. If you visited our Welsh hospice, tucked into the hills of Carmarthenshire, you would see what volunteering makes possible – most of our team are volunteers. Volunteering taps into our deep need to help…

Volunteering at a hospice, whatever the role, can be one of the most meaningful and fulfilling experiences you’ll ever have – but how can you tell if it’s the right fit for you, and where do you start if you’re ready to get involved?