Rowcroft want to support an extra 260 patients a year
The hospice has unveiled its 'No One Alone' appeal
Last updated 8th Nov 2023
South Devon’s Rowcroft Hospice are trying to raise £500,000 a year to help support an extra 260 patients.
It's after a UK Parliament research briefing suggested an estimated 100,000 people per year 'who could benefit from palliative care die without receiving it'.
Victoria Bartlett is the hospice’s director of patient care who tells us their new ‘No One Alone Appeal’ aims to highlight the 'harsh reality that each year too many people in South Devon are unable to access the essential end-of-life care they need due to a critical gap in resources and funding'.
She said: "While Rowcroft is playing a key role in delivering specialist end-of-life care and support to patients and their loved ones in South Devon, the charity stresses that an escalating local demand for its services is placing unparalleled pressures on the hospice.
"By 2026, The No One Alone Appeal aims to raise an additional £500,000 every year to help Rowcroft expand its specialist services to care for hundreds more people amid the rapidly increasing demand in the community."
"Each year, Rowcroft Hospice delivers expert end-of-life care and support to around 2,500 patients and their loved ones across South Devon. Through the No One Alone Appeal, the charity aims to raise the funds to help care for an additional 260 patients per year by 2026. This will be a key milestone towards the hospice’s longer term goal of supporting a total of 3,000 patients and those closest to them by 2030.
"The driving force behind the No One Alone Appeal is the principal that everyone deserves exceptional end-of-life care. Rowcroft’s vision is a world where no patient with life-limiting illness, or their loved ones, should have to face this difficult and vulnerable time alone.
"Within South Devon, there is a spiralling local demand for Rowcroft’s services - due to people living longer and with increasingly complex symptoms. Through this appeal and by expanding its services, the charity is working towards its aspiration of specialist care for all who need it.
"As a charity, the NHS funds 24% of Rowcroft’s services, and the remainder comes from the generosity of the local community. Every donation to the No One Alone Appeal will be used to care for local patients in need. For example, a donation of £25 could fund an hour of care during a first home visit by a Rowcroft nurse, so they can start offering tailored specialist support to a patient and their loved ones, while a donation of £1,500 would give a patient and those closest to them vital nursing support in the last two weeks of life."
For more details visit www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk/no-one-alone