Sue Ryder
Helping people facing death and grief to stay safe and warm
Our project at a glance
- Priority vulnerability group: Critically ill people
- Strategic priority area: Supporting priority vulnerability groups to access tailored support services
- Support target: 5,139 households over 18 months
- Duration: October 2024 to March 2026
- Investment: £409,861 over 18 months
- Forecast SROI: £4.24
Why we’re working together
According to Sue Ryder’s 2023 Cost of Dying report, 81% of people receiving end-of-life care have been unable to run essential medical equipment due to high energy costs. Many face financial hardship as a result of their illness.
That’s why we’re partnering with national end of life and bereavement support charity Sue Ryder to help people who are dying and grieving with access to energy safeguarding services and fuel poverty support.
Together, we aim to raise awareness of key energy safeguarding services, including the Priority Services Register and carbon monoxide safety, and the support available to people living in fuel poverty among Sue Ryder service users, staff, volunteers and customers.
Project objectives
- Training Sue Ryder employees and volunteers to help identify and triage families in fuel poverty
- Providing one-to-one energy safeguarding support for people facing death or living with grief
- Supporting eligible households to sign up for the Priority Services Register
- Raising awareness of carbon monoxide safety and providing free CO alarms to households most at risk of CO harm
- Delivering a multi-channel awareness campaign to raise awareness of key energy safeguarding information
How we’re working together
Personalised energy safeguarding information and support
The Sue Ryder team is providing one-to-one energy safeguarding advice to more than 5,000 people who are facing death or living with grief, helping them to use energy safely, affordably and efficiently at home.
The team will be delivering support through their hospices, community nursing teams, Grief Kind Spaces, Bereavement Support and shops.
When the Sue Ryder team identifies a household that could benefit from more in-depth advice or support, they’re able to signpost them to the relevant support service within our network of Safe & Warm community partners.
Fuel debt advice training
We’re training six Sue Ryder colleagues to achieve the City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Fuel Debt Advice in the Community, helping them to better understand the causes of fuel debt and the issues faced by households in fuel poverty.
Once trained, they will train a further 200 Sue Ryder staff and volunteers to help them identify patients and families in fuel crisis and where to signpost households for onward support.
Multi-channel awareness raising campaign
Together, we’ll develop resources in support of a multi-channel campaign to raise awareness of key energy safeguarding information. The campaign will be targeted at Sue Ryder service users, as well as shop customers, staff and volunteers.
How to get involved
Accessing support from Sue Ryder
If you’re facing death or have recently been bereaved, you can get support from the team at Sue Ryder. There’s more information on the different ways the charity can help you on the Sue Ryder website.
Becoming a Sue Ryder partner
You can find out more about partnering with Sue Ryder on the charity’s website.
Research shows many terminally ill and bereaved people are in fuel poverty. Whether that’s because they need to use medical equipment for pain relief, symptom control and mobility, or to keep the home warm in someone’s final days or needing to pay bills whilst grieving.
That’s why we are working with SGN – to make sure support with essential energy needs reaches anyone who is dying and grieving.