Buckinghamshire hospice warns of £1 million funding gap
The coronavirus pandemic has hit income and fundraising for Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity
Coronavirus has had a huge impact on income for the Aylesbury based hospice charity.
Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity have not been able to share the expected impact on services because of the pandemic, but they say by the end of March 2021 they will have lost around £1 million in funding.
The pandemic and following lockdowns have hugely impacted the ability to open their shops in Aylesbury Vale and beyond.
However, the restrictions have also hindered public fundraising events like marathons.
CEO of Florence Nightingale Charity Jo Turner says the services they provide are life-changing for some people:
"The network of hospice services that we are funding and that are delivered by our partners are just invaluable.
"Because they can be delivered in the hospice building and in the community I think it gives people a proper choice about how they can be cared for which is important.
"Hospice care is a particularly specialist kind of support for people that is well known by people for being compassionate and jsut supportive.
"The idea that this wouldn't be around for generations to come in the local area is just to painful to think of."
The services provided include Hospice At Home scheme, which was launched in 2019 as a two-year pilot.
Operating in the Aylesbury Vale it helps those with life-limiting illnesses avoid hospital admission so they can spend their last days in the comfort of their homes.
In April, the Government announced a £200 million support package for hospices.
However, CE Jo Turner, explained that it is one of just a handful not to receive the generous coronavirus relief money due to the way it works with the NHS.
Ms Turner said:
"We are focused on ensuring exceptionally high level of care continues to be provided through the many services paid for by sales at our shops and donations from the public.
"Through their support in the past, we have built robust finances to ensure those needing end-of-life care have received it whatever their circumstances and free of charge. However, no-one anticipated the impact of the global pandemic that is set to last well into 2021.
"We are determined to maintain services until everything is back to normal. In the meantime, we are reviewing how we fund all that we do.
"Whatever happens, specialist doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are working tirelessly under difficult circumstances to provide an incredible level of care and compassion."