Much-needed support for Lanarkshire hospice
A Lanarkshire hospice offering care to the seriously ill has benefitted from emergency funding to combat an “unprecedented” drop in cash.
Kilbryde Hospice, in East Kilbride, is among 14 Scottish hospices to share a pot of £16.9m, providing financial support after a huge drop in funding across the sector due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cambuslang man Gordon McHugh, the CEO at Kilbryde, said the support was much-needed.
He said: “Our kind-hearted donors have continued to offer us amazing support throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This has allowed us to continue delivering vital palliative care and support for the communities of South Lanarkshire. However, the scale of the drop in our voluntary and retail income has been unprecedented.
“Throughout the year the hospice’s fundraising team have been working with our supporters who have been carrying out lockdown challenges such as cycling, running, virtual tablet making sessions to full blown online cabaret shows to raising vital funds. The announcement by the Scottish Government to offer a further support package to Scotland’s hospices is hugely welcomed by our dedicated team and hospice community.”
The Scottish Government’s health secretary, Jeane Freeman, said: “We recognise the vital support provided by hospices at this challenging time, and thank all of those providing direct care in Scotland’s hospices.
“We have already provided hospices with over £10 million to meet their requests for financial assistance, based on need associated with their loss of income due to lockdown restrictions.
“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting hospices and we have been clear that we will pass on the hospice consequential funding in full to the sector.”
Rhona Baillie, chairwoman of the Scottish Hospices Leadership Group and chief executive of The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, said the pandemic has caused significant issues for hospices.
She added: “But they have absolutely risen to the challenge of continuing to provide vital care to people at the end of their lives in truly exceptional circumstances.
“Each year, hospices support more than 22,400 people through delivering care to people in their own homes, as well as inpatient, outpatient and day services. Hospices have demonstrated significant innovations over the past year to continue fundraising in virtual ways. However, the external landscape continues to have a major impact on hospices’ ability to raise funds.
“With a significant deficit expected in fundraising income in the coming year, the confirmation of this emergency funding provides a level of reassurance for forward planning of care services.”