Lockdown cuts charity’s income
Faced with an instant 55 per cent drop in revenue, Hospice Taranaki is soldiering on, still offering palliative care services to the seriously ill during the coronavirus pandemic.
Deemed an essential service during the nationwide lockdown which began on March 25, Hospice Taranaki chief executive Paul Lamb said the most obvious change for the organisation had been the temporary shutdown of the inpatient unit in New Plymouth’s David St. But the same level of service of care and support provided there was now being offered out in the community and in patients’ homes by hospice staff, Lamb said.
One of the things playing on Lamb’s mind at the moment was ensuring there was enough money to keep funding the hospice’s work.
The biggest financial hit came from the closure of its five retail shops across the province.
‘‘It has turned off 55 per cent of our income overnight.’’
He said the organisation had some cash reserves and had applied for the Government’s wage subsidy scheme.
Lamb was also aware Hospice New Zealand was in talks with Government about other forms of support available.
His focus now was managing the budget and cutting back on expenditure where possible as he was determined to avoid any redundancies through this period. ‘‘We are going to need all our people when we restart our service, when we can.’’
Hospice Taranaki employs about 84 people across the region.
About a quarter work in the retail business while the rest are health professionals or in management.
A part of the rationale for closing the inpatient unit was to create capacity within the organisation and also be prepared should the spread of coronavirus continue in the community.
Lamb said if four or five nurses became unwell with the virus or had someone in their immediate family contract it, it would ‘‘wreak devastation’’ on the hospice rosters.
Currently, two-nurse teams are visiting about 8-10 patients per day. About 180 people are receiving palliative care services across Taranaki.
Each morning, calls are made to check whether anyone on the visiting schedule has exhibited any signs of Covid-19.
If any symptoms were reported, the appropriate personal protective equipment was worn, Lamb said.
If not, the recommended hygiene precautions were adhered to, along with the twometre distancing rule.
Lamb said that if testing for coronavirus was required, it was something hospice staff could arrange but they had not had to do that yet.
He said the service had fielded an increased number of calls from patients worried about the coronavirus. It was also tough on family members too, he said.
Lamb said the organisation had a pandemic plan in place, informed by guidelines from Hospice New Zealand and developed in consultation with the Taranaki District Health Board and, to date, things were tracking as intended.
He said communication within the organisation and with staff, volunteers and patients was a key priority throughout the lockdown. ‘‘We are ready, we feel, for what is ahead of us but none of us are quite sure what that is.’’