Hospices Thank WPH
HOSPICES THANK US FOR HELPING SERVICES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Coventry and Warwickshire hospices thank WPH Charitable Trust for helping services during COVID-19 pandemic
The Chairman of the WPH Charitable Trust has recounted the highlights of his first year in the chair after steering almost £245,000 of funds to help make life easier for sick and injured people.
Hospice teams who were each awarded £5,000 from the WPH Charitable Trust to help them cope with extra demand and a substantial loss of income in the wake of Covid-19 have spoken of their experiences during the pandemic.
The Trust made £25,000 available to be equally divided between The Myton Hospices in Coventry and South Warwickshire, The Mary Ann Evans Hospice in Nuneaton and North Warwickshire, The Shakespeare Hospice in Stratford, Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice in Coventry, and Acorns Children’s Hospice, for its children in Coventry and Warwickshire.
The awards came as the rising demand for services, coupled with the cancellation of events and closure of shops, resulted in added financial pressures for hospices across the UK.
WPH awarded the money to hospices to underpin the provision of care to patients at home.
Kay Greene is the director of clinical services at the Mary Ann Evans Hospice in Nuneaton.
She said the money from the WPH Charitable Trust had helped the hospice to provide care to those who need it the most during the pandemic.
She said: “On behalf of the local community Mary Ann provide care services for, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to WPH Charitable Trust for supporting us financially at a time when our usual reliable income streams have signficantly reduced.
“We have been able to care for almost three times more people dying at home, night and day, than we would have done prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Our staff have been flexible and accommodating and at no time have we been in a position to not provide this much needed care and support. We truly are most grateful – thank you.”
Ruth Freeman is CEO of The Myton Hospices. She said its share of the money was being used for enhanced care by the Myton at Home team.
She said: “During the pandemic there has been an increase in patients in the last days or weeks of life, whose preferred place of death is at home, and as such we have adapted to ensure we can accommodate this.
“The frontline team at Myton are playing a vital role in our response to Covid-19. The way we work has changed in response to the global pandemic but our primary focus remains the same – to provide care and support for terminally ill patients and their families, in our inpatient beds and in the community. Thank you to the WPH Charitable Trust for helping to make this possible.”
Clinical teams at The Shakespeare Hospice in Stratford have adapted and enhanced the way in which they work, to ensure their services continue. The Hospice at Home team continues to work on the frontline, with added support from colleagues from other internal teams.
Karen Davies is head of income generation at the hospice. She said: “The spread of coronavirus is having a devastating impact on the hospice. In response to this we launched a community fundraising appeal, aimed at raising the funds lost through cancelled events and shop closures.
“We are in unprecedented times and are likely to lose 60 per cent or more of our income, however, the slow down in income doesn’t mean we are slowing down the services that we provide to those in need in our community. Our teams are working hard to keep up with the demand for our services.”
She added: “The incredible donation from the WPH Charitable Trust has helped to ensure we can keep providing these services – thank you.”
