Hospices to receive £6.3m support package
A THREE-MONTH package of additional support worth up to £6.3m for hospices in Wales has today been revealed by Wales’ Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething.
Hospice services in Wales rely on charitable fundraising for around two thirds of their income and have experienced a plunge in funding during the coronavirus outbreak.
The restrictions have led to a drastic drop in that income as fundraising events are cancelled, charity shops close and campaigns are paused. At the same time, the crisis is making their services even more essential.
The funding comes from the £1.1bn fighting fund created by the Welsh Government to respond to the pandemic.
Mr Gething said: “As their normal charitable income dries up there is a very serious risk that hospice and end-of-life care services could slip into insolvency.
“Hospice and end-of-life care services provided by the voluntary sector are a critical part of the NHS family, providing essential care to more than 20,000 people in Wales each year, and helping to prevent avoidable admission to hospital.”
In response, Marie Curie Director of Policy and Public Affairs Simon Jones said: “We welcome the announcement today from Health Minister Vaughan Gething of this vital support for hospices and the end of life care charity sector in Wales, following the money coming to Wales as part of the Chancellor’s announcement before Easter.
“This funding will ease our immediate financial pressures and enable us to continue to deliver front-line services in end of life care for people dying both with and without Covid-19, and their loved ones through this national crisis.
“We have faced a devastating loss of fundraising income as a result of our inability to carry out our usual fundraising activities, which rely so much on people being able to leave their homes and come together to support us in a variety of different ways. We are all in this crisis together and Marie Curie, as the UK’s leading end of life care charity, wants to continue to play our part to support Wales through this difficult period. We are fully committed to continuing to provide compassionate care to as many dying people as we can, serve the public, and support the NHS in Wales.”