HOSPICE IN FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
CANCER CHARITY FORCED TO CLOSE BEDS AND CUT STAFF AS FUNDING HIT BY COVID. FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP
TODAY Bristol’s only adult hospice is calling for YOUR help – to help it survive the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
St Peter’s Hospice has launched the When It Matters Most campaign, backed by the Bristol Post and our website Bristol Live, in a bid to plug a £2 million funding gap it faces due to the impact of Covid 19.
The charity has seen its income plummet since the start of the pandemic.
Coronavirus forced all the organisation’s shops to close and fundraising activities were stopped overnight.
Now, hospice bosses have had to take a series of tough decisions to ensure its viability for the next 12 months.
For the first time in its history, the charity has been forced to reduce the number of beds in its inpatient unit from 15 to 10.
It is also facing making redun
We have never faced a challenge like it.
St Peter’s Hospice chief executive officer Frank Noble
dancies amongst its 350 staff and a recruitment freeze has been introduced. Pay rises will also not be given this year
The charity’s day hospice and day services have also been suspended.
St Peter’s Hospice chief executive officer Frank Noble said: “We have never faced a challenge like it.”
Government support funding for the hospice ran out in July.
And although Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Care Commissioning Group has agreed cash to fund gaps in the charity’s community nursing team, no further funding is currently available.
A waiting list has been introduced when demand is high for people needing care at the inpatient unit.
However those needing care will be offered it in their own homes by the team of community nurse specialists and the hospice at home team.
Those with acute medical needs will be cared for by local hospitals.
Although the charity’s 51 shops have now reopened, trade is 30 per cent down compared to this time last year.
Mr Noble said: “Despite all these measures in place, we are still facing a shortfall of £2 million this financial year.
“The measures we have taken have allowed us to put the charity into an interim position which we aim to hold for 12 months
“It’s important we hold this line so the people of Bristol know where they are, to give them some clarity about our situation.
“As a charity we need to stabilise until the situation improves.
“This is the first time in the hospice’s history that we have had to take measures like these.
“We don’t know what the future holds and winter is likely to be a challenge especially if there are further lockdown measures introduced.
“We cannot see our financial situation improving for at least 12 months.
“It could well be that the budget deficit of £2 million could increase.
“What we do now is to protect the hospice for the future and the generations of people from Bristol and the wider area which it supports.”
The When It Matters Most campaign will run over the next several months.
Launching today, people can help in a number of ways, either by making a donation, supporting the charity online through its Ebay store, shopping at the hospice’s virtual Christmas market or supporting the lottery or by becoming a volunteer.
“Our priority is keeping the services going for patients at the point when it matters most,” said Mr Noble.
“We hope the campaign will help us recoup the millions we have lost in revenue due to the pandemic and secure the long-term future of the hospice.”
You can support the hospice by making a donation at https://www.