A Birmingham mum who once feared a hospice would be a ‘cold room’ has described how specialist care gave her 20-year-old son a peaceful place to die, surrounded by people who made him feel safe and cared for.
When going into a hospice was suggested for her son Liam, Mary Goodwin wasn’t keen.
“At the time when a hospice was first mentioned I wasn’t keen at all. I thought, it’s end of life, I pictured a cold room but there was so much care put in,” said Ms Goodwin.
“A lady from the hospice came into the hospital and explained all about it to Liam and he said: ‘Mum, that’s where I think I should be. So, I followed Liam’s lead.
“I had no idea how peaceful it would be. To think he would have spent his last days in the hospital, it would have destroyed my soul.
“I know people always use words like amazing, but the staff were. His passing was very peaceful and the way it was handled was fantastic. I think if he’d stayed in the hospital I would have been left with regrets.”
Mary and Liam are two of hundreds of people who have been cared for and supported by Birmingham Hospice during the past year.
The charity’s latest Impact Report, published during Hospice Care Week (5–11 October), reveals the scale of care and support the charity provides – from specialist end of life and palliative care in people’s homes and in the hospice’s Inpatient Units, to bereavement support for the whole family plus education and training for aspiring and established healthcare workers.
Among the figures revealed are:
- 685 patients are in Birmingham Hospice’s care on average every day across all services
- 385 patients were cared for in the two In Patient Units
- 2674 patients were supported in their own homes through the Community and Hospice at Home teams.
- 2154 attendances by patients at the Living Well centres for people with life limiting conditions to live well with their illness.
- 6200 contacts were made with people by the Wellbeing team to offer pre and post bereavement support for adults and children connected to the hospice.
- 89,000 family members, friends and carers were provided with direct support services from the hospice.
- 3099 healthcare professionals and students benefited from hospice training programmes with 239 training sessions delivered and a total of 939 hours of education.
- It cost £19.9 million to run Birmingham Hospice’s services last year, that’s £51,506 a day.
- In 2026- 2027 it could cost £20 million to run Birmingham Hospice, £8 million of which will come from voluntary income such as fundraising, donations and our retail shops.
Chief executive Paul Bytheway, chief executive of Birmingham Hospice said: “Our latest Impact Report puts the scale and impact of the care we provide every day into sharp focus, showing the difference we’re making every day across Birmingham, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Sandwell.
“We believe everyone, no matter their circumstances should be able to die in the place of their choice, with the care of their choice.
“Last year we launched Our Future Together strategy for the next three years and our Impact Report shows clearly how we’re already turning our ambitions into reality.
“Our Specialist Palliative Urgent Response Service (SPUR) service which means patients can access end of life specialist support in their own homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week is one of the most significant developments we’ve made in care in recent years.
“The Impact Report also reflects on our award-winning Bulls in the City trail which introduced thousands of people to hospice care for the first time.
“Like hospices across the country, the need to raise money to support the work that we do is at the forefront of our minds. What carried us through, as always, was our community – whether fundraising, volunteering, or simply spreading the word about what we do.
“Looking ahead to the coming year, demand for our care will continue to grow as people live longer with more complex needs and that’s why we along with other hospices in the UK will continue to urge the government to commit to sustainable funding for the sector.
Link to Impact report – https://www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/app/uploads/2026/10/Impact-Report-2025-26-condensed.pdf
Cover photo: Liam Boden with sister Samantha Goodwin
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