A Worcestershire hospice has been awarded £55,000 from The Eveson Trust towards its care of patients and families.
The new funding from the Trust, which supports charities benefitting residents in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the West Midlands, is being donated to St Richard’s Hospice in Wildwood Drive, Worcester.
St Richard’s Hospice is an independent charity offering free, expert care for adults with an illness that cannot be cured, and support for their loved ones and carers.
Each year the hospice team supports more than 3,100 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire.
St Richard’s Fundraising Director, Tricia Cavell, said: “We are extremely grateful for this generous donation which will help us continue to care for patients and families when they need us most.”
Mrs Cavell added: ”St Richard’s is facing financially challenging times as we face a real term reduction in income from the NHS, big increases in costs, alongside increasing need for our care services as people live much longer with multiple, complex conditions for which there is no cure.”
“Our heartfelt thanks goes to The Eveson Trust and everyone in our community who supports our care. The backing of our community remains vital for our future.”
It will cost in the region of £12m to run the hospice this year, which includes patient care and all the necessary support services.
St Richard’s is proposing to redesign care services, introduce new ways of working and restructure its workforce to meet growing demand for care and to tackle its deficit budget. There is no planned impact on hospice patient beds available or care provision across the county.
St Richard’s relies on voluntary support, including from donations, gifts in Wills, retail and events for the majority of its income with the remainder funded by the NHS.