A year in the life of the Ayrshire Hospice

The Ayrshire Hospice annual review has charted the service provided for the year to March.

There were a total 1,428 patient referrals received from across Ayrshire in a very busy 12 months.

Of those referrals, 324 patients were admitted to the in- patient unit with 96 able to be discharged.

Some 240 referrals were made to hospice day services and over 3,172 visits were made to patients in the community.

The hospice Respite and Response team also made1,560 visits to a total of 348 patients.

The report also reveals that during 2018- 19 it took over £ 7.9million to run all hospice services, including clinical, fundraising and support services.

That equats to almost £ 22,000 per day – and an amazing £ 4.6million was raised through voluntary donations alone.

Valerie Richmond, Support Services Director, said hospice care was now much more than looking after people at the end of life.

Valerie said: “They are more than just a place where people go to die.

“Hospices are places where people come to live life to the full, where they can be with their families and friends, where they can talk about their hopes and fears, where they can laugh and cry.”

The Hospice had 189 employed staff and 512 volunteers registered for the period.

There was a total of 16 corporate charity partners.

Cooks prepared 10,100 patient meals and 1,452 cups of tea were served in the cafe within the Racecourse Road site.

There were; 157 collection can venues, 14,429 hospice lottery players and 23 generous legacies or bequests totalling £ 962,070.