Mary Ann Evans Hospice
Nuneaton Hospice Strengthens Clinical Team Thanks To WPH Charitable Trust
A £50,000 grant from WPH Charitable Trust has enabled Nuneaton’s Mary Ann Evans Hospice to bolster its clinical team.
The money has been used to fund the appointment and first year’s salary of Lorna Manders, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner whose role is to support the Director of Clinical Services at the hospice, in Eliot Way.
It comes as a welcome financial boost to the hospice whose services include a day hospice, hospice at home service for end of life care, a lymphoedema service, and a bereavement service for adults and children.
Elizabeth Hancock, Chief Executive of the hospice, said that as a result of the funding, Lorna’s appointment will help increase the clinical expertise available for the care of patients. Lorna is a fully qualified nurse prescriber – a skill which until now has not been readily available on site.
Mrs Hancock said: “Lorna is a key appointment for us. She is joining our team from another hospice, so has all the necessary skills and expertise to not only cement what we already do but to enhance and develop our offering for our patients and their families.
“She will also fulfil a key role in supporting our Director of Clinical Services who until now has had to manage the nursing teams and work with our many partners in the local area. She will be working closely, in particular, with three of the most senior members of our nursing team – the leaders of our lymphoedema service, day hospice service and our hospice at home service.”
The £50,000 will be used to cover the costs of the first-year salary as well as travel expenses, training requirements and other add-on costs.
Mrs Hancock said the grant from WPH Charitable Trust had helped put the hospice several steps ahead in terms of fundraising for this year.
She said activity across all services had increased by 20 per cent year-on-year – particularly in the day hospice and in its bereavement service, which has seen a new service introduced for children.
Mrs Hancock said she expects this year’s activity to rise by a further eight to 10 per cent at the very least.
She said: “We have to raise £1.5 million pounds each year but last year had a £200,000 shortfall
“To know we have this vital new post covered for the first year is great news for the patients and the hospice. In my time here we have not received a one-off donation of this amount and we are very grateful to the WPH Charitable Trust.”
With 30 years of experience in nursing, Lorna has specialised in palliative care for 22 years. Prior to her appointment at Mary Ann Evans Hospice she had worked at St Giles’ Hospice in Lichfield.
The mother-of-two, who lives in Dordon, North Warwickshire, said: “Over the past three years I have been back at university to study advanced nursing and to become a prescriber.
“I applied for the position at Mary Ann Evans Hospice as I believe I have the transferable skills and the experience.
“It is a completely fresh challenge and one which I am looking forward to.”
WPH Charitable Trust exists to provide funding for individuals, groups and organisations to help prevent, relieve and cure sickness in Coventry and Warwickshire.
It also provides grants for medical research, buildings, equipment and other forms of medical care for residents of the region. Applications are all made via the trust’s website, and are assessed on a regular quarterly basis. Trustees are actively seeking applications which are assessed every quarter.
Bob Grieve, Chairman of WPH Charitable Trust, said: “Mary Ann Evans Hospice provides a vital service for families in Nuneaton, North Warwickshire and beyond.
“We recognised how crucial Lorna’s appointment was to the clinical side of the hospice so we were delighted to be able to provide the funds for the first year, in effect saving the hospice from having to bite into its reserves and freeing some money up to invest into other areas.”
