Who we are Reports and accounts Annual report and accounts 24/25 Our Annual Report 24/25 (PDF 1.3mb) is for the year ending 31 March 2025 Chair and Chief Executive’s report This year, Haven House Children's Hospice delivered more care to more families than ever before, against a backdrop of rising need, deepening complexity, and financial pressure across our sector and beyond. Our purpose has never been more vital. The number of children living with serious illness continues to rise. At the same time, funding remains fragmented and unreliable, and demand is growing not only in volume but in intensity. Children are living longer with increasingly complex conditions, often facing both clinical and social vulnerability. Yet despite this, we have remained resolutely focused on what matters; ensuring every child receives the care they need, when and where they need it. In 2024/25 we supported 325 babies, children and young people and delivered more than 28,000 hours of care. We met every request for urgent end-of-life support, with a 24% increase on overnight stays, delivering 1,057, and supported 14 families through the most difficult days of their lives. This care was delivered across hospice, hospital and home settings by a team that has continued to show remarkable skill, empathy and professionalism. We are proud of these numbers, but they only tell part of the story. What truly defines Haven House is the quality and inclusivity of the care we provide. The focus is always on care that is personalised, culturally responsive, and built around the whole family. We’ve expanded our therapeutic services with new sensory and online music therapy groups, enabling children who are not in formal education to access tailored support. Our Family Support Team has grown in strength, providing practical advice on benefits, housing and safeguarding, while our new Holistic Needs Analysis tool ensures every care plan starts with what matters most to the family.One year into our Integrated Nursing Model, we are now delivering seamless care across all settings. We are faster to respond, better able to match need to resource, and more resilient in how we staff and structure care. Our people are central to this progress. In a year when workforce pressures hit the entire sector, we have successfully recruited and retained specialist nurses and care staff. We have invested in training, resilience and wellbeing, because outstanding care starts with a supported team. The external context, however, remains sobering. As highlighted in Together for Short Lives’ latest sector report, the funding gap for children’s hospices continues to widen. Inflation, staffing costs, and a growing caseload are all driving up expenditure, and statutory income simply is not keeping pace. Our future Despite these headwinds, we remain ambitious. Our strategy is clear: • Expand our therapy and wellbeing offer to reach more families• Strengthen our transition support for young people moving into adult services• Deepen our equity and access work, removing barriers for underrepresented families• Invest in staff capacity and culture, ensuring Haven House is an employer of choice. At the heart of Haven House is a simple promise, that no family should face the journey of serious illness alone. Every act of support becomes care, easing a child’s pain, giving a sibling space to be heard, and allowing a parent to rest knowing their child is safe. Our donor’s generosity makes this possible. The need is growing, and so is our ambition. With further investment, we can reach more children, expand therapies and wellbeing services, strengthen transitions to adult care, and remove barriers so every family can access our support. Together, we can ensure Haven House remains a place of compassion, excellence, and hope, today and for the future. Ian AillesChair Justin DerbyshireChief Executive