A hospice charity has launched an urgent appeal to help tackle people dying on the waiting list for a hospice bed. 

The Myton Hospices, which has shops in Alcester and supports people across Warwickshire, is aiming to raise £240,000 to ensure more people can access a hospice bed. 

The appeal has been launched to address spiralling demand and costs with both at an all-time high. 

According to the charity, more people need a hospice bed now than ever before with demand for Myton's inpatient units increasing by around 11 per cent in the last 12 months. 

Tragically, three out of five people on the waiting list for a hospice bed at Myton will die before they can access one. 

Ruth Freeman, Chief Executive Officer at The Myton Hospices, said: "At The Myton Hospices, we passionately believe that every person who needs a hospice bed should have access to one and that no one who is at the end of life should be on a waiting list. 

"But there just aren't enough hospice beds in Coventry and Warwickshire to meet the demand. People who have experienced or witnessed the impact of being cared for in a hospice bed know just how important it is to control symptoms, including pain and anxiety, by providing specialist, tailored support for patients and their families. 

"Everyone has the right to a good death with their loved ones support and we need urgent help to ensure we can provide the people of Coventry and Warwickshire with the palliative and end-of-life care they need and deserve." 

As the only provider of hospice inpatient beds in Coventry and Warwickshire, Myton is aware of the need for more but it is limited in what it can provide due to funding constraints. 

Myton is a charity that provides services free of charge to patients and their loved ones, so it is calling on the community to help support the new appeal. 

Myton supporter Tom Cronin, who lost his wife Katie aged just 37, said: "In these situations, nothing you can do can ever make it better and the best outcome is to never need Myton.

"But Myton truly is the best place to be for everyone and I can’t imagine anywhere else doing a better job." 

The £240,000 that needs to be raised for Myton could help fund the recruitment, training and salary of five registered nurses for a year to help reduce the number of people on the waiting list for its vital service. 

To find out more or to donate visit www.mytonhospice.org/Appeal