About us
Weldmar Hospicecare is a charity that provides end of life care for people living in Dorset who need our specialist support. Our compassionate approach supports patients and their families, medically and in other ways, in the community, in our hospice and at home. All services are provided free of charge.
All our care is free and reliant on public donations.
Weldmar Hospicecare is an independent charity only working in Dorset. 21% of our funds is provided by the NHS, leaving Weldmar needing to raise £18,000 per day to fund our free of charge services through fundraising and our chain of twenty charity shops and six outlets. 79% of our funds are raised thanks to the support of our local community.
We employ nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers, and offer counselling services. We work in patients’ homes, our hospice and the community, supported by trained volunteers. We care for patients with cancer and other progressive conditions, such as motor neurone disease, who require our specialist help.
We aim to ensure all patients needing end of life care in Dorset have access to excellent services delivered when and where needed whether by Weldmar, or by others supported by us. We work alongside our colleagues in health and social care to ensure that we meet the individual needs of patients and their families.
- We seek to improve the quality of life for those people by bringing relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
- We provide in-patient care at our Inpatient Unit in Dorchester
- Our Weldmar Community Nurses visit patients at home, in care homes and in community hospitals – this accounts for more than 80% of our care.
- We help enable patients to live as actively as possible and enable the family to cope throughout the patient’s illness.
- We provide Day Services at Trimar House in Weymouth, our Inpatient Unit in Dorchester, Westminster Memorial Hospital in Shaftesbury, and in Blandford and Bridport Community Hospitals.
- Our services also include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, spiritual care, complementary therapy and creative arts, together with child and family support and bereavement care.
- The NHS contribute 21% of our overall costs, and we rely on the generosity and support of the local community for the rest.
We were originally three charities, CancerCare Dorset (formerly West Dorset Macmillan Service), Joseph Weld Hospice and Trimar Hospice. The services merged between 2003-2004 to form Weldmar Hospicecare Trust.
We are reliant on our local community for our funds from legacies, fundraising activities, major events, our chain of shops and outlets, and our Friends of Weldmar Hospicecare.
Weldmar Hospicecare Trust is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital
Company Registration No. 2520727 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity Number 1000414
Care Quality Commission Reports
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) job is to make sure that care provided by hospitals, dentists, ambulances, care homes and services in people’s own homes and elsewhere meets government standards of quality and safety.
