Approximately 70% of the available palliative care beds in England – that is, places offering end of life care for terminally ill patients – are managed by voluntary sector organisations. The great majority of these organisations, known as hospices, are independent local charities, which are subject to an increasing number of regulatory demands covering areas as diverse as health and safety, patient treatment, and value for money. There are also a number of key stakeholders, and associated relations, that impact on what hospices do, and how.
Dr Grigorios Theodosopoulos has researched the management challenges faced by hospices in England, and has recently published a paper on this topic. The paper reveals that hospices are called upon to provide an ever-increasing range of clinical and other services, for which they need to secure funding via innovative income generating initiatives. Drawing on interviews and financial data, the research conducted by Dr Theodosopoulos and his co-authors sheds light on:
- The complexity of the funding model used by these organisations
- The scarcity of appropriately skilled staff for clinical, nursing and fundraising work
- The extended demand for hospice care driven by population demographics
Dr Grigorios Theodosopoulos is a Senior Lecturer in accounting, and a member of the Accounting and Auditing Research Centre, at Brunel Business School. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, member of the British Accounting and Finance Association, member of the Voluntary Sector Studies Network and has broad working experience in accounting, commercial auditing, and management. His focuses on the development and application of an accounting business models’ framework within voluntary sector organisations. His include: contemporary issues in accounting research, financial reporting and analysis, and introductory accounting.
The research paper is entitled ‘’, and was published by the journal Critical Perspectives on Accounting. For further information about this work, or for a copy of the paper, please contact Dr Theodosopoulos .