Our Charity
Helen & Douglas House is a Charitable Company Registered by Guarantee, formed under the Companies Acts 1985–9 as a company with exclusively charitable objects. Its governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Helen & Douglas House is run by a board of Trustees, who must adhere to all the duties of company directors and all the duties of charity trustees under the Charities Acts.
Impact Report
Helen & Douglas House has produced an Impact Report for 2022/23 which shows the impact we have made to improve the lives of local families with terminally ill and life-limited children in Oxfordshire, the Thames Valley and beyond.
This report contains many successes and celebrations during what was our 40th year.
Annual Report
Helen & Douglas House has produced an Annual Report for the financial year 2022/23.
Helen & Douglas House submits a report of its annual accounts (including a trustees report) to the Charity Commission. These documents, along with further information on the performance of the charity can be found on the Charity Commission website.
Quality Account
The pursuit of excellence in the delivery of care, and in the support services underpinning them, is a strategic aim of Helen & Douglas House. Performance against this aim is regularly reviewed by the Charity’s Trustees.
The Quality Account is a means by which we are able to share information publicly about the quality of care we provide.
Our Commitment to FREDIE
We celebrate diversity and aim for an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation.
Learn about our commitment to diversity, including governance and progress measurement. We are working to gain level 1 accreditation in Investors in Diversity and provide FREDIE training to staff.
Safeguarding policies
As stated in the Charity Commission’s strategy for dealing with safeguarding issues in charities dated December 2017 the Trustees have published the charity’s safeguarding policies which you can find here and state that any failure to follow these policies will be dealt with as a very serious matter.
We are delighted that the exceptional care we provide to local families has been recognised as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), our regulator. This ‘outstanding’ rating recognises our approach of putting the families we care for at the heart of everything we do and our aim to be world-class.
Our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen
The Queen became Patron of Helen & Douglas House in 2007, in her former role as The Duchess of Cornwall. Her continued patronage was confirmed in 2024 following a review of patronages to mark the 1st anniversary of their Majesties’ coronation.
Every year The Queen has invited families and our staff to visit Clarence House to decorate her Christmas tree. This is a magical event which creates such precious memories for the families.
The Queen has also visited the hospice many times, meeting both bereaved families and those who come for supportive stays, as well as staff and volunteers.
Jane Long, Chief Executive of Helen & Douglas House said:
“The Queen is very approachable and friendly when we meet her and Her Majesty has a genuine interest in what we do and the families we support as well as our staff and volunteers and the vital role they play. Her Majesty shows great compassion for the work we do and to our families going through such difficult times.”
Executive Team
Meet the Trustees
Helen & Douglas House Trustees act in a voluntary capacity and meet 4 times a year as a board to ensure that that Helen & Douglas House is run in accordance with its legal, moral and ethical obligations. The Trustee Board also has several subcommittees on which nominated Trustees sit.
Make a donation
We need to raise over £3 million each year to care for local terminally ill children at the hospice and at home.