THE founder of the modern hospice movement, Dame Cicely Saunders, died just a few weeks ago in the London hospice she set up in the 1960s.

Described as a woman whose "vision and work has transformed the care of the dying and the practice of medicine in the UK and throughout the world," she had, herself, suffered from cancer for many years.

As a trained doctor, she founded the movement on the principles of caring for the sick, researching methods of pain control, searching for cures for diseases and teaching nurses and doctors how to cope with terminal illness.

Ideas of spiritual care and treatment as well as medical also figured high in her vision.

Today, there are 253 hospices throughout the UK providing a total of 3,411 beds for in-patient care. Of these, 33 hospices and 255 beds are for children. The great majority of hospices are independent local charities, but the NHS and large charities like Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sue Ryder also provide hospice care.

Hospices have enriched the lives of more than 250,000 in the last year alone, providing love and care to patients and their relatives as they embark on their final journey to the end of life.