55 nurses, 19 shops, 628 regular givers, 15,000 pints of milk and more than 132,000 hours of volunteer time – this is just some of what it takes a city hospice to provide care to patients and families.
And this is just a fraction of the resources needed for St Richard’s Hospice to run its varied services across Worcestershire.
Hospice Care Week, a national campaign, is set to run from October 7-13 and is this year themed: ‘this is what it takes’.
St Richard’s will join more than 200 UK hospices to take part in the campaign, giving a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into running a hospice and raising awareness of the funding and resources needed to deliver its care.
June Patel, chief executive of St Richard’s Hospice, said: “The care we – and hospices around the country – provide extends beyond medical care.
“We offer services including bereavement counselling, art and horticultural therapy, hospice care in the home and much, much more.
“We couldn’t provide our care without the support of a wide range of people carrying out a vast array of duties – from laundering hundreds of towels, to making thousands of cups of tea each year.
“And, of course, none of it would be possible without the incredible support of our community raising money to fund our services.
“Each contribution helps create the bigger picture of our care. We are so grateful to each and every person who helps us be there for patients and loved ones when they need us most.”
St Richard’s is an independent charity and relies on donations and gifts in Wills for the majority of its income with 20% funded by the NHS.
During Hospice Care Week, St Richard’s will hold its first mass collection weekend from October 11 to 13. The weekend will see volunteers out across the county appealing for spare change to help fund the hospice’s services.
The hospice team will also be at Crowngate Shopping Centre, Worcester, on October 11 with a giant chalk board, inviting passers-by to share their life’s hopes, dreams and ambitions – while learning about the charity’s care.
And there will be a free open afternoon on Sunday, October 13 from 1pm to 4pm at the hospice’s building in Wildwood Drive, WR5 2QT. Register your place at www.strichards.org.uk/event/openafternoon
St Richard’s Hospice cares for adults with a serious progressive illness, improving their quality of life from diagnosis, during treatment and to their last days. It also supports their loved ones.
Each year the hospice team supports more than 3,400 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire.
The hospice is also raising funds for the Build 2020 Appeal and is part way through developing a bigger hospice, enabling more patients and families to be cared for in Worcestershire. The total cost for expanding and redeveloping the existing building in Wildwood Drive, Worcester, is £5.3m.