£200k cash boost will help hospice take forward new community services
Boss welcomes lottery grant to bring project to life
Renowned Accord Hospice nurses will be able to support more people in their own homes thanks to a £200,000 grant.
Provided by the National Lottery Community Fund, the money will be used to create the new Community Hub and ACCORD@ Home service.
This will focus on three distinct areas and see supportive discharges from the hospice, crisis intervention to prevent unwanted hospital or hospice admissions and supporting those facing end of life to do so in their own homes.
The additional funding has allowed the Paisley hospice to employ seven new staff members to complement the existing community team – resulting in a total investment from the charity of £500,000.
David McFadden, fundraising and communications manager at Accord, said the new service will see people offered the right care in the right place at the right time.
He said: “The impact of the pandemic has demonstrated just how important community-based services are for patients of the hospice and their families.
“Whilst we’ve experienced a challenging year, an undoubtedly positive outcome is the acceleration of the development of our community services – and we’re delighted to be bringing it all together within our Community Hub.
“The project will bring together our community services and staff, utilising their breadth of experience and skills to create an individualised, patient- centred approach that meets patient goals, supports our professional colleagues in the community as well as meeting the palliative care strategy for patients living in Renfrewshire and parts of East Renfrewshire.”
Services being planned by the charity include a befriending service called Buddies@ACCORD and NeighbourlySupport@ ACCORD, which would offer support with everyday tasks, from dropping off a pint of milk and picking up prescriptions, to a helpful chat over a cup of tea.
A diversionary therapy service called Umatter@ACCORD would reach highly dependent patients within the community, while the proposed Outpatients@ACCORD aims to give patients access to a full team of medical experts during appointments if required.
It is hoped all of the proposed services will be implemented in the coming months.
David added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, which has helped to bring this project to life.
“The start date for our new staff is imminent, with the launch of our ‘Community Hub’ services soon to follow.
“Once ready, our plan is to engage with all our community colleagues and services, to determine the best way forward for palliative care within our catchment areas.
“None of this is possible without funding, including generous donations from our supporters and fundraisers, and we cannot thank them enough for the contributions they continue to make.”
For more information on Accord Hospice, visit www.accordhospice.org.uk/support-us
We’re absolutely thrilled to receive funding from the National Lottery Community Fund