As the nation wakes up to a new government, families cared for by Acorns across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire remain in a precarious position.

Caring for a child with complex needs can cause immense pressures on families. Acorns exists to help take the strain, and for many families that we care for that means literally pulling them back from the brink.

To imagine a future where a service like ours no longer exists, leaving families completely alone; it doesn’t bear thinking about.

However, because of ongoing funding challenges, that is the reality Acorns and the UK’s children’s hospices are facing.

Across the sector, a key source of our income – the ringfenced, £25 million Children’s Hospice Grant is at risk, meaning children’s hospices will be unable to deliver the range of essential services families rely-on.

The grant is confirmed this year, but the picture after this is unclear and questions remain about how much (if any) of the current grant children’s hospices will receive.

Without this guarantee, right now Acorns and many other children’s hospice providers are being forced to make difficult decisions about cutting vital services.

As the new government is formed, and Sir Keir Starmer selects his cabinet, this is the primary issue our sector wants firmly on the agenda. We owe it to the countless children and families across the UK who rely on our services, before it’s too late.

We are calling on the new government to protect and maintain the Children’s Hospice Grant as a directly distributed, ringfenced grant, so Acorns, and every children’s hospice in England can continue providing the care children and families desperately need.

To give Acorns and local families the assurances we need, we are also asking the government to guarantee the Children’s Hospice Grant for at least five years and increase it by the rate of inflation, every year.

By guaranteeing this funding, it will allow Acorns to be there for every child and family who needs us. Please consider campaigning for Acorns to help spread the word.

Download our template letter and contact your new local MP to ask them what steps they would take to ensure Acorns and our vital work is protected, now and forever.

Trevor Johnson,
Acorns Chief Executive

www.acorns.org.uk/campaign

Four major palliative care charities gave oral evidence today at a Health and Social Care Committee meeting on hospice funding, describing the current funding model as ‘unsustainable’, risking hospice closures.

At the meeting, MPs considered whether funding for hospices is sufficient to meet demand and followed the committee’s major report on assisted dying, which urged the government to commit to additional funding, guaranteeing support for hospices in need.

Giving evidence was Toby Porter, CEO at Hospice UK, Ruth Driscoll, Director for Policy and Public Affairs at Marie Curie, Dr Syed Qama Abbas, Medical Director at St Clare’s Hospice and James Cooper, Head of External Affairs at Together for Short Lives.

Watch the full session here.

Acorns CEO, Trevor Johnson has warned of funding challenges in a series of interviews with the media today. The interviews followed a Hospice UK report which revealed the sector is facing a collective £77 million deficit.

Trevor said: “Acorns provides vital care to hundreds of children across the region every year, and the demand for our services is growing. Help can’t wait for the families who desperately need Acorns, but limited funding and rising costs present a huge challenge to our ability to continue to be there when families need us.

“As a charity, we can’t pass rising costs on to the consumer and depend on generous people taking part in fundraising activities and the profits from our charity shops for the bulk of our income.

“Hospices like Acorns are essential, but the situation for us is not sustainable. We support Hospice UK in calling on the Government to introduce a new model of long term funding for hospices, in recognition of the invaluable services they provide, and the essential part they play within the healthcare system, before it’s too late.”

Read a BBC news article on the report here.

Kerrie Sprason is Head of Talent Acquisition and Development at Acorns and has been leading an ambitious project at the charity called the Acorns Academy.

Building on ideas she had developed in previous roles – Kerrie saw an opportunity at Acorns with huge potential; to unite the charity’s different strands of learning and development under one umbrella.

It was a lofty aspiration for a charity like Acorns – and would mean implementing something more commonly seen in much larger organisations – where each role has a bespoke learning journey with a clear pathway to development.

However, after much scoping and viewing the possibilities through a wider lens, Kerrie and her team knew there were huge rewards to be reaped for the charity and its workforce.

A head and shoulders image of a lady with blonde hair wearing a yellow scarf and orange lanyard. — Kerrie Sprason, Head of Talent Acquisition and Development

Despite its size, Acorns is a complex organisation made up of three hospices, 45 charity shops and a number of departments all serving vital but very different purposes. To get the Academy concept off the ground in such a multilayered environment was a significant challenge.

Following 12 months of intense analysis, development and implementation across all areas of the charity, the Acorns Academy launched in September last year and has already made ripples across the UK hospice sector.

Kerrie shares how the concept came about and what’s next for this exciting project.

Hi Kerrie, can you tell us, what exactly is the Acorns Academy?

Essentially, the Acorns Academy brings all the learning across the charity, together in one place. It’s made up of around 110 bespoke learning pathways, ensuring all roles are clear in their mandatory learning responsibilities, enabling us to operate above the standard expected according to the regulatory and governing bodies.

There’s also a strong core and developmental element to the Academy. The core training empowers people to become effective in their role and develop to be the best they possibly can be in their day-to-day job. It does this through a blended approach such as scenario-based learning, immersive workshops and learning-transfer methods, all designed to continuously improve behaviours and impact results.

Acorns has a continuous focus on development, so that we can grow our own talent, making us more sustainable for the future. This means that the developmental aspect of Academy is crucial to us achieving the goals outlined in our organisational strategy.

Ultimately, the Academy’s purpose is to ensure the right learning is identified, designed, developed and implemented to all teams, enabling all our people to grow, learn and succeed.

Two nurses wearing scrubs undertake medical training at Acorns on a practice dummy baby.

A lady with brown hair scans items at the counter in an Acorns charity shop.

Where did the idea come from?

It’s hard to pinpoint as the initial concept has evolved over time. Beginning with a mix of successes I have had in much larger organisations such as the pub and restaurant operator, Mitchells & Butlers, Phones 4U and Holland & Barrett. Couple this with a deep analysis of Acorns’ needs, my own ambition, input from my talented team and a very supportive and enabling COO, Matt Bullock.

How much of a challenge was it to implement something like this at Acorns?

Acorns is a complex organisation with a wide variety of departments – from retail, to family and clinical services, fundraising and all the support functions – so yes it was and still is very challenging to meet the needs of such a diverse range of areas and roles.

The approach taken was massively varied across different areas depending on complexity and need. For example, our retail area was less challenging when compared to the clinical side, where extra layers of complexity, governance and CQC regulations need to be considered.

We are still in early days of the Academy with much more to implement and embed, although we are off to an incredible start, having won first place in the Lenny Training Awards 2023 for best training service.

What sort of things have you been doing to help embed the Academy across the care and retail teams at Acorns?

Some of the ways that are helping us embed the Academy is through collaboration and engagement with key stakeholders. We do have an ongoing embed plan which includes activities such as working with our marketing and communications team on the messaging, holding ‘Academy Campfires’ in hospices and shops, where people have the opportunity to talk to us about their specific learning journey or development. We’re also recruiting ‘Honorary Academy Trainers’ and subject matter experts from across the charity to support the creation and delivery of learning and much more.

Are there any others in the hospice sector doing similar things to the Academy?

I’ve had opportunities whilst at Acorns to work alongside and gain insights into other hospices and as far as I am aware we are very advanced in our learning offer within the sector. Saying that, I continue to widen my professional network and have met some extraordinary people with great ideas and practices.

Is this part of an overall trend towards organisations moving all their learning and development in-house?

Not really, we see more organisations bringing consultants and external training providers in house to support with the complexity of learning and development needs. It’s rare in smaller organisations to have this in house and the level that Acorns Academy offers.

Three Acorns nurses wearing blue scrubs undertaking first aid training with a practice dummy.

A little girl holding some paper plate artwork is held by an Acorns Nurse in purple scrubs

I hear there’s already been interest in the Academy from outside Acorns?

Yes, that’s right, the Academy has definitely caught people’s attention. A number of children’s hospices have reached out to us already and after some demonstrations of specific content, we are in advanced discussions over contracts for us to manage aspects of their learning through our Academy. We’ve also been approached to speak at a Charity Retail Association event as they’ve seen some of our Academy successes and snippets of the learning offer. I see exciting opportunities for Acorns to become leaders in learning within our sector and hopefully in time, the ‘go to’ place.

Are there any success stories you can share linked to the Academy?

The Academy only launched in September 2023 and we are already award winning – thanks to the Lenny Training Awards I mentioned earlier. We are very proud of this award, however success for me isn’t about that, it’s about the organisational results that come from developing our people. Whilst we often have small wins, I think it’s a bit too early to evaluate the overall success.

Some examples of early successes are that we now have three newly accredited coaches, all with internal clients and six more undertaking their Level 5 accredited coaching qualification. These qualifications will support our aim to have a coaching culture at Acorns and transfer learning into the workplace.

We’ve also been liaising with a leading global glass manufacturer, Nippon Sheet Glass Ltd (NSG) who have pledged an incredible £145,000 in levy funding that will allow us to further ‘grow our own’ nurses through our Trainee Nurse Associate Programme.

What’s next for the Academy? How do you see it developing?

There’s a huge amount of business-as-usual and developmental content being worked on so there’s definitely more to come. We’ll continue to work on the mandatory and core areas but a special focus this next year will be on the developmental learning needs of the individual, department and organisation. To help us meet these needs, we’ve just conducted an organisational-wide Training Needs Analysis (TNA) with a focus on development. Officially, phase two is about creating the volunteer Academy and then phase three is the commercial aspect, in other words – sales and generating income. As mentioned previously, phase three has presented opportunities earlier than we expected.

The next big piece of work is called Am I ready? which is all about empowering people and unlocking their role specific development activity to help them work towards the next stage in their career. We should have an internal talent pool of highly skilled people ready to go and Am I Ready? will deliver this.

There are lots of exciting things on the horizon, so watch this space!

Thanks for your time Kerrie

Kerrie can be found on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/kerriesprason

To find out more about a career at Acorns click here.

A state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool featuring multi-sensory light and sound for children with life limiting and life threatening conditions which was officially opened this week is already a splash hit.

The project at Acorns Children’s Hospice for the Three Counties has seen colleagues dive into months of work and the complete renovation of the much-used facility after a whopping six-figure donation.

Alongside a new pool and changing rooms, a hi-tech lighting system and ambient surround sound speakers will enhance hydrotherapy sessions, which are a vital service provided by the Worcester-based hospice.

Ian Smith, Chair of the Kildare Trust at the poolside. — Ian Smith, Chair of the Kildare Trust, at the poolside.

The project – costing around £200,000 – was made possible thanks to a grant from the Kildare Trust which funded the entire scheme, and it will benefit more than 200 children who receive care at the Bath Road hospice every year.

At the pool’s official opening (Tuesday, 20 January), the first family took a dip and were cheered on by representatives from the Trust, contractors and colleagues from Acorns.

Deputy Matron Siega Benwell with Catherine Atkins, and children Jack, Oliver and Maisie.

Becky Hughes, Matron at Acorns for the Three Counties, said: “We are thrilled to officially open this amazing pool. The project has totally transformed this important space for children and families.

“Hydrotherapy is such a vital service, actively reducing pain and giving children at Acorns a sense of movement and freedom they may not otherwise get to experience because of the use of wheelchairs or spending a lot of time in bed.

“Our new pool will also help us give families visiting the hospice for family splashes the best possible experience, enabling them to make precious memories together which wouldn’t be possible in a public swimming pool because of infection control and colder waters.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Kildare Trust for the generous donation that has made this project possible.”

Hydrotherapy helps with pain relief and symptom management and can also help a child to develop their play and communication skills. The pool will help children to be as active as possible, both physically and emotionally.

The Kildare Trust, which was endowed by the late Phyllis Richards, a Worcester farmer who died in 2021 aged 100 years old, provides financial support to charities across Worcestershire.

Ian Smith, Chair of the Kildare Trust, said: “The trustees of Kildare were delighted to be in a position to fund the whole refurbishment of this vital facility at Acorns.

“We have supported the hospice for a number of years, but this is the biggest single project we have supported there.

“It was obvious from talking to the staff and parents how incredibly important the hydrotherapy treatment is to all of the users of Acorns.

“Most importantly, after several months of work, the children can benefit from the pool and expert staff support.”

Trevor Johnson, Chief Executive of Acorns at the opening with Catherine Atkins, and her children Jack, Oliver and Maisie.

Acorns provides specialist palliative care for children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions and support for their families.

Every year the charity cares for more than 700 children their families across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire, work which relies on donations and fundraising to continue.

Find out more about Acorns by visiting www.acorns.org.uk

Acorns Children’s Hospice has announced a £145,000 boost towards employee training, thanks to a leading global glass manufacturer.

Nippon Sheet Glass Ltd (NSG) has pledged the generous amount to support Acorns in upskilling its workforce over the coming year, by giving the charity’s employees access to specialist on-the-job training.

Representatives from Redditch-based Pilkington Automotive, part of the NSG family, visited Acorns for the Three Counties in Worcester to announce the funding, which has been made available through the UK’s Apprenticeship Levy scheme.

Stephanie Newell from the Talent Acquisition and Development team at Acorns, said: “We are incredibly grateful to NSG and Pilkington Automotive for pledging such a wonderful amount. It gives us a fantastic opportunity to enhance the training offer for our incredible teams and the vital care and support they provide to hundreds of local families.

“Learning and development is a key priority at Acorns, and we are committed to ensuring everyone at the charity has an opportunity to thrive. Levy gifting allows us to invest in our people and ‘grow-our-own’ talent through a wide range of qualifications, from specialist pediatric palliative care nurses, to accredited coaches that support teams to deliver organisational goals.

“We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to NSG for this continued pledge to support, this gift will be transformational for the future of Acorns.”

The Apprenticeship Levy scheme aims to create sustainable funding for qualifications and apprenticeships across the UK and allows levy-paying employers to transfer up to 25% of their funds to other employers, helping smaller organisations like Acorns invest more in training opportunities.

Emma Neal, HR Director UK and Global Functions at NSG, said: “At NSG, we understand how valuable the Apprenticeship Levy is to develop and upskill workforces to be ready for the future, and are delighted to pledge £145,000 to support Acorns to deliver its 24/25 development targets. This is the first time that NSG has transferred its Apprenticeship Levy, and we are happy that it will make a significant difference to Acorns’ workforce and the children and families they care for.”

Acorns provides specialist palliative care for children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions and support for their families.

Every year the charity cares for more than 700 children their families across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire, work which relies on donations and fundraising to continue.

Find out more about Acorns by visiting www.acorns.org.uk

A major project to completely transform a vital hydrotherapy pool and turn it into a magical multi-sensory facility for children with life limiting and life threatening conditions has officially begun.

The hydrotherapy pool at Acorns Children’s Hospice for the Three Counties, which received the royal seal of approval after it opened in 2005, is being given the six-figure upgrade to totally renovate the facility.

Alongside a brand-new pool and changing rooms, a sparkling hi-tech lighting system and ambient surround sound speakers will enhance hydrotherapy sessions, which are an essential service provided by the Worcester-based hospice.

The improvements have been made possible thanks to a £205,297 grant from the Kildare Trust and will benefit around 230 children who receive care at the Bath Road hospice every year.

Becky Hughes, Matron at Acorns for the Three Counties, said: “This exciting project will completely transform what is such an important space for children and families. Hydrotherapy actively reduces pain and gives children at Acorns a sense of movement that they wouldn’t otherwise enjoy without the freedom that water allows.

pool-edited — Work begins on the new pool

z_YGMLTQVy93xX6QjKDm9zbEhx_EWUWCfdUA-JUdix0= resized — Workers on site as the new pool is created

An incredible project

“Our hydrotherapy pool is so well loved and used by families who rely on our lifeline care and support. Not only does it enable us to provide vital hydrotherapy sessions but also allows us to offer family splashes, giving them precious time together to provide magical memories which wouldn’t be possible for a child with complex care needs in a public pool.

“The incredible project would not be possible without the generous support of the Kildare Trust. Words can’t explain how grateful we are. The impact will be felt for years to come, and will touch the lives of hundreds of families.”

Hydrotherapy not only helps with pain relief and symptom management but can also help a child to develop their play and communication skills.

The pool helps children to be as active as possible, both physically and emotionally, and helps to create happy memories for them and their families.

The Kildare Trust, which was endowed by the late Phyllis Richards, a Worcester farmer who died in 2021 aged 100 years old, provides financial support to charities across Worcestershire and has funded the entire project.

Ian Smith, Chair of the Kildare Trust, said: “The Kildare Trust has supported the wonderful work Acorns hospice in Worcester does for a number of years. When we heard that the swimming pool was desperately in need of a major refurbishment, we wanted to help.

“On a visit to see the pool and hear about the exciting plans, we were introduced to a foster mother who explained what a massive positive impact the pool and the staff who provide the therapy has on her severely disabled son. We are delighted to have been able to fund the entire project.”

Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions and support for their families.

In the past year, the charity has cared for more than 730 children across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, and almost 1,000 families, including those who are bereaved.

Acorns needs around £30,000 each day to provide its children’s hospice care, with two thirds of that amount coming from generous grants from charities like the Kildare Trust.

Find out how you can help Acorns be stronger together for local children and families by visiting our Stronger Together campaign.

State-of-the-art ‘ceiling technology’ at a Walsall children’s hospice is making a difference thanks to a generous local company.

Ten digital screens have been donated by Telford-based Camelott Digital Solutions and installed at Acorns in the Black Country, Walsall, giving children access to stimulation and entertainment in a way not previously possible.

A whole new world

With many of the hundreds of children Acorns cares for each year having complex clinical needs and limited movement, the screens are much more accessible in comparison to ‘standard’ screens.

Whether it’s watching films, playing computer games or even experiencing interactive multisensory visuals, the screens open up a whole new world for children and can be tailored to the individual needs and preferences of each child.

Vicki Rowles, Director of Fundraising at Acorns, said: “We are so grateful to Camelott Digital Solutions for the donation of these fantastic screens. The technology is wonderful and allows the children we care for to access a range of amazing interactive and multisensory features.

“At Acorns we work hard to make our hospices the special places they are, where children can take part in all the things children love to do, regardless of ability. These screens are a brilliant addition to our hospice and one that will really enhance the experience of the children who visit.”

The Black Country hospice has recently undergone a £2 million refurbishment, transforming the much-loved facility for the children and their families that use it every year.

The screens are a key part of the refurb work which has included completely modernised bedrooms, corridors, reception and dining room.

Local companies working together

John Ellis, Commercial Director at Camelott, said: “When we heard Acorns was looking for something like this we were only too pleased to be able to help. We supplied eight screens as well as two interactive screens incorporated into tables on wheels, and we hope they really make a difference to these children’s lives.”

Camelott was introduced to Acorns by Ian Bradley of Bion Electrical, a Wombourne-based company working with Acorns on the hospice refurbishment.

Mr Bradley said: “We knew Acorns were looking at these screens and we put them in touch with John at Camelott who came up with a package that gave a big cost saving. We are glad we were able to help and this is a great example of how companies can work together to help each other and the wider community.”

The screens were supplied by the display solutions specialist Melford Technologies, based in Buckinghamshire.

Steve Osborne, Managing Director of Melford Technologies, said: “We are delighted to be part of the Acorns project. It’s great to see our technologies being used to bring enjoyment and relaxation to the children living in the hospice.”

For more information or for interview, photograph or filming opportunities, contact the PR and Communications team at news@acorns.org.uk.

Notes to editors:

Due to the sensitive nature of Acorns care services it refrains from using the words ‘terminal’ or ‘terminally ill’ in its press releases and public communications when describing the children who use Acorns and the conditions that they have. Instead, Acorns uses the words ‘life limited’, ‘life limiting’, or ‘life threatening’. Acorns kindly requests that you respect this in your communications when referring to Acorns Children’s Hospice. Acorns children have a lot of living to do. Thank you.

Acorns Black Country hospice reopening with ribbon cutting

Our CEO, Trevor Johnson, spoke to the Express & Star recently about Acorns, the challenges the charity has faced and our plans for the future. Read on to hear what he had to say.

Before I stepped into the role of Chief Executive at Acorns Children’s Hospice – where I’ve been now for about five months – I knew all about this charity and its work.

I’m from a hospice background, so I’m very familiar with these vital organisations.

Now that I’m actually here, and I’ve had the chance to meet the incredible teams and some of the many local children and their families we care for – the reality is beyond my expectations.

The difference our wonderful employees and volunteers make at Acorns is awe-inspiring. Every single day, committed and passionate teams pour their hearts into everything they do, touching countless lives. The many stories I’ve heard, of local families supported in their hour-of-need is humbling.

Trevor Johnson sitting next to a screen that has writing dedicated to him from Acorns

As I’m sure people will remember, just a few years ago the story was very different for Acorns in Walsall. Our Black Country hospice – a beacon of hope for hundreds of families in the region – was on the verge of closing forever.

It’s completely unthinkable that this much-loved facility would cease to exist, leaving such a void for families. The local community was galvanised into action and achieved the impossible – saving the hospice for future generations.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. The support continued, so much so, that in April this year we completed a major £2 million refurbishment. Everyone at Acorns is so proud of the new-look hospice. The building has been completely transformed, with every little detail thought through with children and families in mind.

We launched a charity film at Acorns recently entitled Stronger Together. It’s a film whose message of hope echoes the inspiring story of our hospice in Walsall, how our care is only possible thanks to the support of the local community – who by fundraising or buying pre-loved items in our shops – ensure no family faces their journey alone.

Acorns has overcome great difficulties, and as I look to the future the way ahead is exciting and full of opportunity. However, I’m well-aware there will also be challenges, both seen and unseen.

The cost-of-living crisis is still very much a reality for organisations like ours – that rely on donations to continue and cannot pass on rising costs to customers. But most importantly, it also has a huge impact on families in the community caring for a child with complex needs.

These families very often feel the pressures of life much more acutely than others. There will be families we support in your local area right now worrying about the winter and how they will get through it. They will need Acorns more than ever.

Another area of uncertainty is statutory funding for children’s hospice care sector-wide. This funding makes up a smaller proportion of our care costs when compared to voluntary donations, but it’s just as important.

At Acorns – like others across the sector – we will be watching closely to see what decisions NHS England and other statutory providers make in the coming months to ensure hospice services are funded sustainably.

“Acorns has overcome great difficulties, and as I look to the future the way ahead is exciting and full of opportunity. However, I’m well-aware there will also be challenges, both seen and unseen.”

A girl lying down and smiling, while playing with some sensory ribbons

When it comes to the future, none of us have a crystal ball, but an analogy I like to use is the real-life example of the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras.

The bridge was built by some of the most experienced engineers in the world, designed to withstand the powerful hurricanes that are common in that part of the world. It was a fantastic piece of engineering.

In the same year it was built, Honduras was hit by Hurricane Mitch which caused significant damage and loss of life across the country. The bridge however survived, totally untouched.

The problem was, the Choluteca River – over 100 metres wide – had carved itself a completely new path during the hurricane, leaving the bridge stranded on dry land. The structure was rendered useless overnight and quickly became known as the Bridge to Nowhere.

The lesson here is when it comes to the future, is that it’s my responsibility at Acorns to ensure that we not only plan well, but we plan for the unexpected.

There may be circumstances out of our control that change the situation, despite all our best efforts. We must therefore be agile and adaptable.

We owe it to the hundreds of children and their families we care for today, and those who don’t yet know that they will need us – so that we’ll be here for everyone in our community tomorrow, and long into the future.

Trevor Johnson
Chief Executive, Acorns Children’s Hospice

For more information or for interview, photograph or filming opportunities, contact the PR and Communications team at news@acorns.org.uk.

Notes to editors: